The St. Albert Slash are showing no signs of slowing down as Canadian champions.
The runaway leaders in the Alberta Female Hockey League with 15 wins in 17 games have exceeded expectations after winning three consecutive Final Frozen Four provincials, Pacific Region playoffs and midget AAA Esso Cups.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised at all,” said right-winger Bronwyn Boucher, a returning player from the 36-5-2 three-peat team at nationals. “Coming into this year, people didn't think we can do it again and right now we’re already proving them wrong and we’re going to just keep going.”
The Slash record is broken down into 13 wins in regulation time, one overtime win, one shootout win and the 1-0 shootout loss to the Lloydminster Steelers (7-8-2) Nov. 24 in the Border City and Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the host Red Deer Chiefs (2-14-1).
“It’s good that we lost those two games because it helps us face adversity. It helps us know what losing feels like and we don't want to feel that in the future,” said netminder Mabel Maltais. “We’re going to keep striving to get better and better every day. We’re looking to continue the legacy that has been built here.”
Every loss by the Slash is magnified while under the microscope as Esso Cup champions.
“You carry a lot on your shoulders wearing the jersey. There is a lot that comes with it,” Boucher said of the team’s winning tradition. “We want to give all the rookies a chance to be a part of that legacy.”
Among the nine first-year Slashers is Maltais.
“It's a dream come true. I had aspired to play for this team since I was young. The legacy here is incredible and I’m excited to be part of it this year,” said the AFHL leader with nine wins without a loss and four shutouts.
The first game for the Slash after going 2-2-1 at the Canada/USA Cup in Kitchener and Waterloo, Ont., was 6-0 against the Calgary Fire (8-8) on Raiders Day in St. Albert last Saturday at Go Auto Arena.
“It was definitely one of our better games,” Maltais said. “After the tournament (the weekend before) we were able to pick it up after not getting the results we wanted.
“It was probably one of the first games we played a full 60 minutes so it was good to see.”
One of the losses was 2-1 to the Durham West Lightning as the Ontario team scored the winner with 1.9 seconds remaining while outshooting the Slash 25-19. Durham went on to win the showcase event.
Maltais faced 16 shots by Calgary while lowering her goals-against average to a third-best 0.99 in the AFHL.
“There is always room for improvement, but I’m pleased where everything is at right now and I’m looking forward to keep growing as the season goes on,” said the Grade 12 Vimy Ridge Academy student.
Maltais, 16, joined the Slash after her midget 15 campaign with CAC United Cycle in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
“My development kind of skyrocketed from going to the guys,” Maltais said. “Definitely my speed kind of went straight up in terms of how fast I can skate and getting to one side of the net to the other."
The Edmonton resident posted stats of 2-7-2, 5.30 GAA and .839 save percentage for the CAC (8-18-8).
“It was a lot of fun, but it was also a tough year just trying to adjust to having my own dressing room and not really being part of the team as much,” said Maltais, who tended the twine for the 2017/18 bantam elite Edmonton Pandas in the AFHL and posted a 7-6 record, 1.91 GAA and .920 save percentage. “In coming back to the girls there is so much more camaraderie and I’m able to be myself a little bit more.”
Playing behind the defensively-sound Slash, Maltais owns one of the best in save percentages in the AFHL at .940.
“The team does a really good job at communicating and helping me out by covering players that maybe I'm not aware of,” Maltais said. “I’ve had defences in the past that were not necessarily bad but we weren't able to communicate well and so that really helps in making sure I’m covering all my ground.”
The Slash are averaging a minuscule 0.94 goals against on the strength of seven shutouts and 3.05 goals scored in 17 games while the second-place Pandas (10-5-1) are averaging 2.43 GF and 1.37 GA in 16 games.
“We need to start putting more pucks to net and scoring a little more goals because that's kind of our weak point right now,” said Boucher, who has four goals and seven points after recording 11 goals and 15 points in 30 games as a Slash rookie.
“We definitely missed the goal scorers we had last year and some girls need to kind of step up and fill that role and we’re kind of just slowly getting there,” said the Grade 11 St. Albert Catholic High School student. “But everything else is going great. We get along really well in the dressing room so we’re very deep that way and on the ice too.”
Jenna Goodwin, the 2019 AFHL rookie of the year, is tied for second in league scoring with 16 points and is the co-leader in goals with Sydney Benko of the Rocky Mountain Raiders (8-6-3) with 11 apiece. Benko is also the AFHL’s top scorer with 17 points.
Captain Alli Reich is second on the Slash in goals with seven and newcomer Cassidy Rhodes is second in points with 13.
The Slash could only muster one goal in Red Deer as Goodwin connected in the first period to open the scoring.
Shots were 34-17 for the Slash as Holly Borrett (6-1, 0.88 GAA, three shutouts, .960 save percentage) was victimized for the equalizer on the power play late in the middle frame and the winner with 5:08 left in the third.
“That was a tough game,” Boucher said. “They’re the lowest team right now in the league and we didn't expect them to come out that hard and they caught us flat-footed. We couldn't get pucks to the net and they got two lucky ones.”
Boucher, 16, tallied twice against Calgary skating on a line with Natalie Kieser and Kyra McDonald.
Kamea Brezovski, Faith Greenough, Jaden Bogden and Goodwin also scored. Jayden Cadieux picked up three assists and McDonald assisted on both goals by Boucher.
The next league game is Jan. 4 against the Raiders at 2:15 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
