Will over skill lights Stars way toward Esso Cup
Midget AAA squad one step away from berth at nationals
Greg Slobodzian pulls up his jacket sleeve and points to a wristband bearing the team’s slogan and mantra.
“I’ve been wearing this on my wrist since the first week — Stars will,” says Slobodzian, head coach of the Esso Cup West Regional-bound Saskatoon Stars.
“We just will. It takes will to do it and we will do it and it’s a wilful thing. It fits into a whole bunch of things. It’s served us well and I’m sure it’s going to serve us well going down the stretch here.”
The Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champion Stars are in Steinbach, Man., for a best-of-three Esso Cup West Regional series Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the Eastman Selects.
The winner advances to the Esso Cup national championship tournament April 22-28 in Bridgewater, N.S.
“We’ve always had the skill,” says Slobodzian. “It’s just that whole matter of will over skill thing. That’s been our go-to this year.”
Not only does the bracelet band the Stars’ sisterhood together, the team shares a common goal.
“It’s a great representation of what our team is and what we want to be,” says Stars forward Anna Leschyshyn. “We all (got one) at the start of the year and it really pulls us together and sets us on the goal we want to reach at the end of the season.”
The Stars, who are undefeated through the playoffs, are currently ranked No. 1 in the country. They finished the regular season with a 21-3-3-1 record and three of the league’s top four scorers.
Mackenna Parker (33-27-60 in 23 games played) led the way, followed by Leschyshyn (24-29-53 in 28 GP) and Grace Shirley (30-1848 in 23 GP).
And where there’s a will, there’s a way.
“Last year, going into the playoffs, we had a tired hockey team both mentally and physically and you could see it in that last series against P.A.,” says Slobodzian.
“We just didn’t have the fight to go through it. A lot of these girls had never really lost before, so last year’s loss to P.A. was probably the best thing that could have happened to a lot of these players. This year, with the long break along with the first-round bye, unless something really strange happens, I just can’t see us being denied.”