Centre ice inside the Art Hauser Centre at the Esso Cup tournament. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Esso Cup

Gameday preview: Esso Cup semi-finals

Apr 28, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Six teams were standing at the start of the Esso Cup and now, just four remain.

Following the wrap-up of the preliminary round at the tournament, Stoney Creek, Fraser Valley, Regina, and the Northern Selects are all still in the running for national gold, meaning that Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière and the Prince Albert Northern Bears have been eliminated from the tournament.

Friday’s winners will move onto the 4:00 p.m. game on Saturday to play for the Esso Cup title while the losers will play for bronze at 12:00 p.m. With the final four locked in, here’s how each matchup fares in the semi-finals.

Northern Selects, 2-3-0 (ATL) vs Stoney Creek Sabres, 5-0-0 (ONT) – 3:30 p.m.

The first semi-final matchup of the day is tournament number one Ontario taking on the fourth-seeded Atlantic reps.

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The Northern Selects started off their Esso Cup run on a high note, winning their first two games before entering Friday on a three-game skid. The Selects also just barely made it into the semi-final round, having narrowly beat out Laurentides-Lanaudière for the final spot. The Sabres on the other hand ended their preliminary round on top of the tournament, managing to stay undefeated through the first five days of play. Along with the impressive record, Stoney Creek has also conceded just six goals thus far, allowing no more than two goals against while scoring 21 goals in the preliminary round for a +15-goal differential.

Sabres’ Madison Burr not only leads her team in points, but she also leads the tournament in that stat having been the only player to break the ten-point mark (5g, 5a). Along with Burr, three of her teammates also are also in the top ten for scoring at the Esso Cup, Caileigh Tiller (5g, 3a), Holly Vannetten (2g, 5a), and Jaela Carter (1g, 6a). As for the Selects, Kendall Doiron paves the way in the points department with five (2g, 3a) while her teammate Brooke Williams sits just one behind with four (2g, 2a).

Regina Rebels, 3-2-0 (WEST) vs Fraser Valley Rush, 3-2-0 (PAC) – 7:00 p.m.

The best in the West goes toe to toe with the beasts from B.C. in semi-final match number two.

The Rebels’ tournament has been a roller coaster but they ended strong and now find themselves competing for a medal. Regina started their tournament with a win against Quebec before falling in their next two games. Overcoming adversity, the Rebs managed to find their groove and won back-to-back games to make it to the semis which includes a dominant 7-3 rout of the Northern Selects on Thursday. Fraser Valley is once again playing for a medal in their second consecutive Esso Cup and hoping for a different result. The Rush claimed silver in last year’s tournament, falling 4-1 in the finals. And now in 2023, a gold medal doesn’t seem out of the question after a great showing in the preliminary round. However, Fraser Valley enters Friday after suffering an upset 3-1 loss to Quebec on Thursday.

Greta Henderson leads Regina in points and comes in second in tournament scoring, registering seven goals and an assist in the preliminary round. Berlin Lolacher (3g, 3a) and Prince Albert’s Stryker Zablocki (3g, 2a) also finished the prelims in the top ten in scoring. Fraser Valley’s Vienna Rubin finished top five in scoring with seven points (4g, 3a) while her teammates Aynsley D’Ottavio (3g, 3a) and Hannah Dods (4g, 1a) also finished in the top ten.

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logan.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @lloganlehmann