HAGERSVILLE/CAYUGA—Haldimand County was well represented on the national stage this spring as Hagersville’s Ivy Johnston and Cayuga’s Emma Kindree helped the U18AA Stoney Creek Sabres skate to silver at the Esso Cup.
Johnston and Kindree were part of a Sabres team that entered the national tournament after winning the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association provincial title.
—Submitted photo.
Stoney Creek earned that provincial championship with a perfect six-game run, allowing only two goals over four days and securing its return to Canada’s U18 women’s national club championship.
For both Haldimand players, this season was their first and only year in the U18 division with the Sabres.
“This U18 group, it’s kind of a new group,” Johnston said, explaining that many players knew each other before the season, while others were joining the roster for the first time. “I’ve been playing with the core group of girls since, like, U13.”
Kindree said five players moved up together from last year’s team, giving the group some familiar connections as it adjusted to a new roster.
“It was nice moving into U18 with a couple of friendly faces,” Kindree said. “Even though the majority of our team was new, I think we came together really well to end the season.”
The Sabres opened the Esso Cup with a 1-0 win over the Winnipeg Ice, with Johnston scoring the lone goal of the game at 3:48 of the first period. The team followed that with a 6-1 win over the Northern Selects. Kindree had a goal and two assists in that game, while Johnston also scored.
Stoney Creek continued its strong start with a 4-2 win over the host Moncton Rockets. Johnston scored three times in that game and also assisted on Olivia De Caria’s opening goal.
The tournament shifted after that, as the Sabres dropped a 3-2 decision to As de Québec and then fell 3-1 to the Red Deer Chiefs in their final preliminary round game. Johnston said the losses forced the team to refocus.
“We won our first three games and then, all of a sudden, I think we hit a brick wall, or maybe we thought we were invincible or something,” she said. “It was a good reminder because we ended up losing two.”
Johnston said that stretch helped prepare the team for the semifinal.
“It’s not going to be a cakewalk when we come in,” she said. “All 17 of us have to be going, even if you’re on the ice or on the bench.”
Kindree said the Sabres came into nationals with momentum after provincials, but the longer games at the Esso Cup added a new challenge.
“We came in really rolling from provincials,” she said, noting the team had moved from 15-minute periods to 20-minute periods. “After the first three games, we kind of started to slow down.”
The Sabres responded in the semifinal with a 2-0 win over Moncton for a chance at the championship game against Red Deer. Stoney Creek trailed 2-0 in the final before goals from De Caria and Ryleigh O’Brien tied the game in the second period. De Caria scored again early in the third to give the Sabres the lead, but Red Deer answered and ultimately won 4-3 in overtime.
Although the final ended in disappointment, Kindree said it became one of her strongest memories from the tournament because of what it showed about the team.
“Even though we didn’t end up winning it, seeing the emotion of the girls after, and how hard it was to say goodbye to everybody … that was my favourite memory,” she said. “We succeeded as a team, and like the family atmosphere that we preached that we were.”
The players also had time for team activities during the trip, including bowling, an escape room, and yoga, but Kindree said most of the week centred on hockey, preparation, and recovery.
Johnston said the experience of earning silver for Ontario and bringing that medal home to Haldimand was special. She also pointed to the support from home, including students at her former school who watched one of the games.
“That meant a lot,” she said. “Just knowing the support was at home, even though I was so far away, they didn’t really care. It didn’t stop them from cheering me on or watching.”
Kindree said friends, family, and others across Ontario helped make the experience feel bigger than just the players on the ice.
“People from home were still supporting you, even though you had to pay to watch the games,” she said. “They were still taking that step to try to be there for you.”
Johnston and Kindree will split up next season as they move into junior hockey. Johnston said she is headed to Stoney Creek’s junior program, while Kindree will play junior hockey in Burlington.
