What better way to spend Canadian Thanksgiving and World Girls Hockey Weekend than in a rink? Neutral Zone scouts were in attendance for the 21st Atlantic Challenge Cup in Moncton, New Brunswick. The tournament had both a U16 and U18 division and featured teams from Newfoundland, Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. It was an opportunity for the girls to compete against the other top players in the region and find out who were the best teams in Atlantic Canada.
The following report features the top performers at this event. We ranked players A, B, C according to their individual performance at this event only. There could be “A” level players who had “C” level performances here.
U16 Division
A
Maggy Burbrige (F, 2001, Nova Scotia) – Playmaker who can handle the puck and attacks the net. Her agile skating stands out as she executes stops and starts with quick acceleration. Maggy is a real offensive threat, scoring a shorthanded goal top corner against New Brunswick that was not luck by any means. Certainly not afraid to engage in a battle and is aggressive on the PK. A very hard shot and simply gets the puck to the net. With continued support from Rothesay, Maggy will be a Division 1 college player without a doubt.
Abigail Newhook (F, 2003, Newfoundland and Labrador) – One of the youngest players in this tournament at only 13 years old but still managed to stand out even among players 2 years older. Turned a lot of heads at this tournament with her overall skill. Abigail battles hard along the boards to gain possession. She makes quick, smart decisions and uses the best option every time. She has good size and plays an unselfish game. Tons of time for her to continue to develop and fit right into a Division 1 program come 2021.
Shailynn Snow (F, 2001, Newfoundland and Labrador) – An all-around solid player. A real consistent effort in all aspects of her game. Shailynn has good size and excellent hockey sense. She knows how to use her teammates to produce. Excellent puck handling and an accurate shot with speed moving toward the net. Knows where the puck need to be for an offensive rush to be successful.
B
Ella MacLean (D, 2001, Nova Scotia) – Excellent size for her division. Smooth and calm skater that has a lot of speed to go along with her height. Ella is able to possess the puck very well when trying to break out or rush it up ice. She always has her head up to find the next best play. When on the offensive blue line, it’s one quick move and Ella is around the attacker and ready to let it rip from the point. Commit: University of Maine.
Madelyn Walsh (D, 2001, Nova Scotia) – Agile skater with good size. Impressed with her ability to break the puck out in tricky situations. Madelyn is also willing to skate the puck up ice if given the opportunity. Made some crafty passes. Saw her carry the puck all the way to the net at times without her possession being threatened.
Carmen Elliott (D, 2003, Newfoundland and Labrador) – Time after time showed her ability to angle players off, making her very difficult to beat in a 1 v 1 situation. The biggest aspect of Carmen’s game is definitely her physicality. Her physical game is a real asset, especially at her age. Spent a few minutes in the box but was overall controlled and clean in her physical play. She is also willing to skate the puck to create offense with a hard accurate shot on net. As another young player, someone to keep an eye on.
Tiah Schicilone (F, 2001, New Brunswick) – Has a smaller build but is extremely crafty. Whenever Tiah is on the ice, she is in control of the play. Willing to be physical despite her size and ensure that the puck belongs to her team. Tiah’s best asset is her hunger on the ice. She wants the puck on net and has the compete level to win.
Mireille Martin (F, 2001, New Brunswick) – It’s easy to see Mireille has a real sense for the game. She headmans the puck then immediately jumps into either a support or open position. She uses her teammates to their full potential to create offense making her an unselfish player. Knows where the puck should go so we should see her hockey sense continue to develop with age.
C
Lexi Murphy (F, 2001, Prince Edward Island) – Very hardworking player. Not the flashiest skater but has a lot of speed. Lexi goes into the boards ready to battle. When she wins the puck, is ready to make the next play forward. Scored a few excellent goals over the weekend and came up with some creativity vs New Brunswick. When Lexi sees the puck, she puts her full effort into getting to it.
Grace Martin (D, 2001, Nova Scotia) – Smaller in size but still able to use her body to protect the puck. Grace will wait for the right, safe pass which contributes to her reliability. In the offensive zone, has an ok shot but will likely use the corner rather than risk a shot off the shin pads. A real calm presence on the back end.
Shae-Lynn Clarke (D, 2002, Newfoundland and Labrador) – Similar in mid-size to Carmen Elliott. Impressed that she could protect the house in front of her net. A very steady defender who isn’t flashy but very dependable.
Stephanie Leger (D, 2001, New Brunswick) – Played an offensive roll with rushing the puck up several times. Can see her hockey sense in her decision making abilities. Gives a solid effort to hold the offensive blue and can hold her ground physically at mid-sized.
Olivia Eustace (F, 2002, New Brunswick) – A pretty smooth skater with a solid all-around game. Loved the way she posted up in front of the net. Showed she can be a true net front presence. Hungry for the puck and can hit her players tape with her accurate passes. A younger player with potential.
U18 Division
A
Brette Pettet (F, 1999, Nova Scotia) – Some of the most skilled passes seen this weekend. Could find tape on an option no one expected. Her crisp, hard, and accurate passes really shone this tournament. Brette has hands that get her through traffic. She has a crafty element showing deceptive plays and ideas. No surprise she was wearing the ‘C’ with her work ethic and overall production. Commit: Wisconsin.
Kira Memet (F, 2000, Nova Scotia) – One of the best shots in the tournament. Scored an impressive deek to top shelf goal against PEI and many others with her shot strength. Unselfish player with real offensive capabilities because of her teamwork. Danger to have in front, Kira sees the net and makes sure that’s where the puck ends up. Should continue to develop throughout the year playing at both Appleby College and the Oakville midget. A player to watch.
Julia Scammell (D, 1999, Nova Scotia) – An incredible pairing with Julia Schmitt. One of the best sized defenders this weekend. Scammell displayed and incredible amount of vision. She could hit a player with a pass in the offensive zone that would surprise everyone. Showed she understood the game and carefully considered her passes to make the smartest play. Puts low hard pucks on net from the point. Snuck a few goals in on the ice through traffic. Commit: UNH.
Maggie Connors (F, 2000, Newfoundland and Labrador) – Top player of the tournament. Has very quick feet and hands. When entering the zone with speed, can zip around anyone. Plays both ends of the ice with no trouble skating the full length of the ice faster than most of her opponents. Maggie uses her teammates to create offensive opportunities. Scored too many goals to count this weekend. Will absolutely capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes.
Talli Warren (D, 2000, New Brunswick) – Brings a calm presence to the defensive zone. Has smooth hands and skating while also playing a physical game with her good size. Talli is a very controlled player, she will make the smart simple play. A very reliable defender with a consistent performance throughout the weekend. Commit: UNH.
B
Julia Schmitt (D, 1999, Nova Scotia) – Great size and complimented her D pairing well. Generally backed off to be the support player as her partner took a lot of shots. Still capable of getting strong pucks on net when given the opportunity. The pairing was almost unbeatable all weekend.
Ashley Stratton (F, 2000, Newfoundland and Labrador) – This girl was a grinder all weekend long. She did the dirt jobs time and time again. The player on a skilled line who gets down low and works that puck out. Consistently brought the puck from behind the net to her waiting teammates out front. Ashley was also able to put up a few goals of her own when she found herself posted up in front. Also scored from below the goal line on a very tough angle.
Stephanie Desjardins (F, 1999, New Brunswick) – Excellent, strong size which translates into the perfect amount of physicality in her game. She wins battles along the boards and shows up ready to work every game. Stephanie also has a lot of speed and was very successful by hanging up high. Great combination of skill and strength in this player.
Kristen McKinley (F, 1999, New Brunswick) – A 2-way player who’s always getting back to help dig the puck out. Willing to do whatever it takes every shift to help her team. Plays a very aggressive game especially on the PK. She was impossible to get the puck around when she was killing. She plays hardworking and physical while still maintaining a skill portion to her game with her hands and passing delivery.
C
Ally Clements (D, 1999, Prince Edward Island) – A mobile defender who uses her skating to escape attackers. She is a steady, reliable D. Showed consistent effort no matter what the score was and stepped up in hard times to create offense. Hard to beat 1 v 1 as Ally remains very calm. Will play a dependable role on her next team.
Kelly Clements (F, 2000, Prince Edward Island) – Consistent effort from Kelly. She is a good sized player with pretty good speed. Kelly bares down and hunts for the puck and a good play. She is an unselfish player and strong on the puck. Kelly put up some points despite her team’s low production overall. A good anchor to any line.
Lea MacLeod (F, 2000, Nova Scotia) – Another reliable player in the tournament. Doesn’t stand out by being flashy but rather with her willingness to do what it takes to support her line mates. Lea worked very hard all weekend and was well positioned. Her job was often to feed her line mates, a job Lea had no problem accepting. She was crucial to the production of her line and was rewarded with a couple goals of her own in the gold medal game.
Heather Newman (D, 1999, Newfoundland and Labrador) – Good sized defender who shines on the offensive blue. She has an accurate point shot that she is not afraid to let loose. She picks her head up and is very quick on one timers. In the offensive zone, Heather is the one to get the puck to.
Allison Dearing (F, 2000, Newfoundland and Labrador) – Allison has a very good work ethic. Mid-sized grinder type of player while still proving she has vision for the game. Has an excellent release on her wrist shot and got her stick on a few nice tips in front.
