Goalie Rushton brings national title home
After the gold rush, Ainslee Rushton left the lacrosse arena in Halifax and took off with her parents on a tour of Nova Scotia.
The 14-year-old goalie from Prince George earned her holiday after backstopping Team B.C. all the way to the female bantam national championship with a 5-3 final win over Alberta.
“It was amazing, very emotional when that final buzzer goes and you realize you’d actually won,” said Rushton.
The championship game, July 25, was deadlocked 3-3 until the 10:32 mark of the third period, when Jordan Baxter of Coquitlam scored twice.
“Alberta was playing really good and they were getting a bunch of shots on net trying to get some goals in when it was 5-3 and our coach told us to try to hold the ball to run down the clock and in the last minute I just stood in my crease and held the ball,” said Rushton, who made 36 saves as her team was outshot 39-35 in the final.
B.C. led 2-0 after one period and 3-1 after two.
“It was an amazing opportunity to get to experience that. Winning gold was really an exciting thing to have. It’s going to be a memory for the rest of my life.”
The B.C. girls lost to Alberta 4-3 earlier in the tournament, compiling a 4-2 record leading up to the final. As the most outstanding goalie in the tournament, Rushton played four of the seven games, compiling a 3.25 goals-against average with one shutout and a .894 save percentage.
“I was thrilled to get the all-star (award), I didn’t expect it because there were other goalies there who deserved that award also,” she said.
Rushton plays for the Prince George Posse bantam team which competed this season at the A2 provincial championship in Richmond. Although the team went winless at provincials, Rushton said playing the boys most of the season served as ideal preparation for the female tournament in Halifax.
“It’s a higher level than the girls so it gets me into shape for nationals,” she said. “The boys shoot harder and their skills are higher because they’ve progressed a bit more.”
Rushton was one of four returning players from the B.C. team that lost to Ontario in the national bantam final a year ago in Halifax.
Next year Rushton will make the jump to the midget level and will be vying for a spot on the provincial team, which will host the national female championships the next two years in the Lower Mainland.