Ontario Red and Team Quebec took top spot through the preliminary round of the Canadian U-18 national championships, setting up the quarterfinals on Thursday.
On the final day of round robin competition, Quebec and Ontario Red secured top spot in their respective groups heading into Thursday's elimination round at the U-18 Canadian national championships.
Tara Bach only needed to make 13 saves for Ontario Red in a 3-0 shutout over the host Team Atlantic. Heading into the elimination round without having faced a true test in the round robin, the pressure will be on Ontario Red as they attempt to repeat as champions. They'll face Manitoba in the quarterfinals.
“We know coming in with the history of the tournament that all the pressure is on us," said Maxine Cimoroni, Ontario Red's captain. "In our minds, that pressure is a privilege, and we need to show up and play our game every night. I think we still have some areas we can improve, but I like our confidence and the momentum we have going. I’m excited for an elimination game.”
Manitoba, Ontario Red's quarterfinal opponent struggled in the round robin, but took their first win of the tournament with Kate Manness and Hayley MacDonald each scoring a goal and an assist to beat Ontario Blue 2-1 in their final game.
“It’s a great time for us to get a victory here at the end of the preliminary round," said Kate Manness. "Our confidence has grown all week and this is a good feeling. Against British Columbia yesterday, we kind of gave up and we couldn’t let that happen today. We’re going to have to work hard these next few days and keep the momentum rolling.”
Quebec Will Face Team Atlantic
While Team Atlantic finished at the bottom of Group A's standings, they were no pushover in the preliminary games. Heading into an elimination game on home ice, Atlantic will attempt to solve Quebec's dominant crease duo of Arielle Côté and Marilou Grenier. Grenier finished with a 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage in two games. Côté made 33 saves in her only game in the round robin, beating British Columbia 1-0 in the final game to decide top spot in Group B.
In the other quarterfinals Saskatchewan will play Ontario Red, while British Columbia will face-off against Alberta.