16U team resumes play after January break for IIHF U18 world championship events

Purcell Hockey Academy (PHA) played host to a showcase event from February 6 – 8 that saw Female Super League (FSL) teams from Alberta and Saskatchewan visit Kimberley and Invermere for an exciting weekend of elite hockey.

PHA hadn’t played a league game since early December after a break period that saw multiple players represent their countries at IIHF U18 world championship events including Greta Konradova (Slovakia), Freya Ekberg (Denmark), Amy Leimgruber (Italy), Malgorzata Zakrzewska (Poland), Justyna Koszky (Poland), Carlota Castellanos (Spain), Elsa Rodriguez (Spain), and Maggie Prior (Australia).

PHA kicked off its home showcase on Friday at the Kimberley Civic Centre with a 9-3 victory over the visiting Lloydminster Jr. Rustlers.

Grace Kells was stellar in net for PHA, stopping 40 of 43 shots that came her way.  Malgorzata Zakrzewska (four goals, two assists) and Yaann Yuen (three goals, three assists) led the way on the scoresheet with Freya Ekberg (one goal, three assists), Maggie Prior (one goal), Isabella Ferrarelli (one assist), and Elsa Rodriguez Camacho (one assist) contributing to the effort.

It was a well-attended affair thanks to the efforts of the PHA 19U team members who visited elementary schools and Garden View Village in the week leading up to the game.  A special thank you from PHA to the parents who brought their children and the Garden View residents who took advantage of the free Purcell Collegiate shuttle bus to attend the game.

PHA travelled up Highway 93/95 to Invermere for its next game on Saturday where they faced off against the league-leading Bow Valley Nationals at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.

The game lived up to the pre-game hype with teams tied 2-2 at the end of regulation.  Bow Valley was the first and only team to score in the shootout, netting the visitors a 3-2 victory and knotting the season series between the two top clubs at two wins apiece.

Justyna Koszyk held PHA in the game for extended periods of time, stopping 50 of 52 shots during regulation time and buying PHA time to tie the game up late in the third period.  Anastasiia Nesterenko scored both of PHA’s goals with Greta Konradova (two assists), Yaann Yuen (one assist) and Evelyn Vitkovskiy (one assist) also factoring in the scoring.

The team returned to its home ice at the Kimberley Civic Centre for the third game of PHA’s homestand, suiting up against the Saskatoon Phantoms at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Despite the short turnaround time between games, PHA found their stride quickly and cruised to a 9-2 victory.  Grace Kells had another strong game between the pipes, making 31 saves to earn the win.  Yaann Yuen was on fire up front, netting four goals and two assists for her second six-point game of the weekend.  Freya Ekberg (five assists), Malgorzata Zakrzewska (three goals), Amy Leimgruber (one goal, one assist), Isabella Ferrarelli (one goal), and Anastasiia Nesterenko (one assist) also had productive outings.

It was back to Invermere for the final game of the showcase with PHA facing off against the Calgary Glaciers on Sunday afternoon.

PHA was none the worse for wear despite playing its third game in less than 16 hours, storming to a 7-3 victory.

Leading the way on the scoresheet were Freya Ekberg (two goals, one assist) and Yaann Yuen (three assists).  Greta Konradova (two goals), Amy Leimgruber (one goal, one assist), Anastasiia Nesterenko (one goal, one assist), and Carlota Castellanos (one goal, one assist) also had multi-point games.  Arlo Hughes (one assist), Isabella Ferrarelli (one assist) Evelyn Vitkovskiy (one assist) and Malgorzata Zakrzewska (one assist) made contributions as well.

Overall, it was a successful return to action for PHA with the team netting seven of a possible eight points from its home showcase and multiple players producing stand-out performances including highlight-reel goals scored by Yaann Yuen and Amy Leimgruber, both of which have gone viral on social media.

Visit @purcellhockey on Facebook or Instagram to view the video clips.

Next up for PHA are road trips to the Lower Mainland, Saskatoon, and Edmonton as the team pursues first place overall in the 16U division.

To keep up with PHA, visit the FSL website at www.femalesuperleague.com or subscribe to Silent Ice TV at www.silenticetv.com to watch the team play live.

Photos submitted

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