Shannon Coulter
When the Northern Selects met last summer ahead of the 2022-23 season, they had one goal in mind: to return to the Esso Cup.
That goal was officially accomplished after an undefeated record at the Atlantic Regional, and now the Selects are ready to compete for a national title again. With 12 players back from last year’s team, the team continues to be a defensibly responsible group that plays as a unit for each other, but with offensive dynamo Sara Stewart now making waves at Colgate University, Northern’s scoring comes from up and down the lineup.
“I think we [have a] fairly similar identity, we’re going to be hard to play against, hopefully hard to score on, and try and capitalize on our opportunities when they present themselves,” says head coach Craig Clarke. “Our captain (Bree MacPherson) is on defence, and her and Sarah Fraser are just absolutely beasts back there. They lead on the back end and our goalies are both really good.”
The Selects had another successful regular season, only dropping one game in the Maritime Major Female Hockey League. The team travelled to Brampton to play in the 2 Nations Cup to play seven tough games in three days against the best teams in Canada and the United States. After a thrilling shootout victory in the final, the Selects beat the Sudbury Lady Wolves to be crowned champions.
“It was really good hockey in a short period of time,” he says. “I’m almost positive nobody east of Quebec has ever won that tournament.”
Last year, the Selects went 2-3 in the preliminary round—two of those losses coming in overtime—before being blanked 4-0 by the eventual national champion Durham West Lightning in the semifinals. With Nova Scotia taking silver at the Canada Winter Games in February, the Selects are hoping to make an impact again on the national stage.
“We are not just showing up here to play five hockey games and be satisfied with that,” Clarke says. “Our goal is to do as well as we possibly can there.”
HOW THEY GOT TO PRINCE ALBERT
Maritime Major Female Hockey League Nova Scotia semifinal: defeated Cape Breton Lynx 3-1 (3-4, 2-1, 5-4, 5-3) Nova Scotia final: defeated Halifax Western Capitals 3-0 (3-2, 3-2, 2-1)
Atlantic Regional Preliminary round: 4-0-0 – first place (defeated Eastern Stars 5-1, defeated Western Flames 5-1, defeated Cape Breton Lynx 5-1, defeated Tri-Pen Ice 4-2) Championship: defeated Western Flames 5-0
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-T): 21-1-2 (1st in MMFHL) Goals for: 112 (1st in MMFHL) Goals against: 18 (1st in MMFHL) Longest winning streak: 12 (Sept. 10-Nov. 13) Top 3 scorers: - Kendall Doiron – 18G 13A 31P (7th in MMFHL) - Olivia Marks – 16G 14A 30P (9th in MMFHL) - Brooke Thomson – 8G 14A 22P (18th in MMFHL)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 11-1 Goals for: 47 Goals against: 22 Top 3 scorers: - Kendall Doiron – 9G 7A 16P - Mackenzie Greencorn – 7G 3A 10P - Olivia Marks – 3G 7A 10P
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
2022 – Northern Selects | fourth place | 2-3 | 14GF 12GA 2018 – Northern Selects | fifth place | 1-4 | 12GF 19GA
PLAYERS TO WATCH
JORJA BURROWS athletic goaltender … very poised and calm in net, not easily rattled … MVP at the Atlantic Regional
KENDALL DOIRON dynamically skilled player … led team in scoring … up-and-coming player at only 14 years old
BREE MACPHERSON team captain … incredibly fast … led league in points by a defender … plays heavy minutes with Sarah Fraser
UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
Sarah Fraser – University of Prince Edward Island Julia MacDonald – Ontario Tech University Bree MacPherson – St. Francis Xavier University Brooke Thomson – University of Prince Edward Island