The Cochrane Chaos junior female hockey team got back to their winning ways after a pair of wins on Jan. 19 and 20, and have now won 12 of their last 13 games, good for an 18-4 record which is tops in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League (AJFHL) standings.
On Jan. 19, the Chaos hosted the Lethbridge Eagles in a game that was won by Cochrane 4-0. The Chaos scored three first period goals and one in the second off the sticks of Breanna Martin, Melanie Scholz, Jenna Wasylik and Elizabeth Wong. Goaltender Jenna Weseen wasn’t very busy on the night, stopping all nine shots she faced through 60 minutes of play.
The Chaos played the following day in an afternoon game against the Calgary Titans in their Owen Moore Memorial Outdoor Classic in the memory of Moore, who took his own life last spring. Cochrane won 1-0 at the Springbank Park For All Seasons outdoor rink. It was a close battle where both teams had to fight for every inch … but it was Audrey Buston who found the back of the net midway through the second period to give her team the game winner. Megan Parkyn was solid throughout the afternoon, turning away a few key chances by the Titans and stopping 26 saves for her fifth shutout.
The Chaos have only allowed three goals in their last four games, but head coach Derek Loomer feels like his team still has a couple gears to reach to be at their best in the last six games of the season.
“I feel like we have a ways to go to get back to the level we were at right before the Christmas break,” Loomer said.
“But with that being said, we are still getting strong commitment to competing in each game and that showed this weekend especially in the outdoor game where we ground out the 1-0 shutout.”
Loomer also spoke on how successful the second annual outdoor classic turned out and he hopes the game raises awareness for mental health.
“The Owen Moore Memorial Outdoor Classic was a huge success both on and off the ice. We raised about $3,000 for the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association and had a very competitive game for the fans to watch,” Loomer said.
“The facility is awesome for an outdoor rink with the challenge of the unique bench situation which only added to the experience for coaches and players.”
“Coaches are not really able to see all of the rink so we are organizing the lines, sending players on the ice and then leaving it up to them because it was hard to see what happened to give good feedback to players.”
The Chaos will look to keep their slight lead in the standings when they have back-to-back games at home against the Lethbridge Eagles on Jan. 26 and Jan. 28. Both games will go at Totem One in Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
