The Esso Cup promises to bring out the very best in the St. Albert Slash.
“Our motto this year is leave no doubt,” said captain Melissa Kueber. “We want people to see that we’re a good team. We don’t want to just be in it because we’re the hosts, we want to show people that we’re supposed to be here.”
The Slash are on a mission to win gold.
“We’re going to go all the way. That’s the plan,” said centre Matana Skoye. “We’re planning to take it.”
The mood of the team on the eve of the big event was brimming with anticipation.
“There is anxiety and nervousness, but mostly excitement,” Skoye said. “It’s a real honour for us to host the Esso Cup.”
The third annual national female midget hockey championship starts Sunday at Performance Arena.
“Everyone is really excited. Not everyone gets the opportunity to be in it, let alone host it,” Kueber said. “We want to do the best that we can. We’ll have the support of our friends and families in the stands so we want to do our best for them.”
The tournament opener for the Slash is against the Toronto Aeros at 8 p.m.
“We know there are going to be some nerves for sure, especially for that first game against Ontario because we’ll probably have a big crowd,” Kueber said. “We just have to get the nerves out the first couple of shifts and then just go play our game.”
Rounding out the medal contenders are the Edmonton Thunder, Notre Dame Hounds, Kodiacs du Lac St-Louis and the Kings County (PEI) Kings.
“We’re playing all the top teams around Canada so it will give the girls an eye opener to see where we are compared to everyone else, as well as their top players, too, so it will be good,” said Kueber, a gold-medal winner with teammate Jessica Kampjes on U18 Alberta at the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
Skoye, 17, is confident the Slash will hold their own against the five regional champions.
“We’re going to give them a good run,” said the Grade 12 Paul Kane student.
“We just have to come together as a team. It’s not an individual game, so we’re all going to have to work together to be successful.”
Kueber agreed that teamwork will put the Slash on top.
“Our team has different individuals who have different skills so we need those people to do what they can do best so that it helps out the team as a whole,” said the 18-year-old right winger. “We’ve got to have confidence too that we can do it and it starts right when we get to the arena. We have to have confidence and believe in one another.”
From the first day of tryouts, everything the Slash did was a steppingstone to nationals.
“This year we’ve just been building up for the Esso Cup, like our Boston trip playing the top teams in the states,” Kueber said. “We had a good year. It’s the best Slash has ever finished.”
Their 23-6-3 record was second-best in the north and the team’s 49 points ranked third overall in the league.
“We’ve had our ups and downs but right now we’re on a high for the Esso Cup,” Skoye said. “It’s been a long journey but we’ve grown tremendously from the start of the year to now. It’s the strongest the team has ever been.”
The Esso Cup marks the swansong for third-year Slash players Skoye and Kueber.
“It’s huge to finish off with nationals. I’m really excited,” Skoye said
“It’s good to be part of it, especially since it’s my last year,” added Kueber, the top goal scorer in league play with 31 in 24 games, plus a league-high seven on the power play.
The Grade 12 Paul Kane student also finished tied in the league’s points race with teammates Karly Heffernan (16 goals, 31 assists in 32 games) and Kampjes (26 goals, 21 assists in 30 games) with 47 apiece.
In the playoffs, Kueber potted six goals and added six assists in six games for third place in league scoring.
“It’s been a good season,” said the all-time career points leader in Slash history (79-60-139 in 94 games), who is scholarship-bound to the Colgate Raiders in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
Skoye contributed 15 points in 28 games to the cause. Five of her nine goals were registered on the power play.
“This year is the best year by far for me. I’ve grown as a player offensively, definitely,” she said.
