The U14 AA Eastman Flames, a ringette team from eastern Manitoba, have claimed their Provincial title. Several other local teams have also won Provincial tournaments so far this winter, including NCI’s Varsity Boys basketball squad and the Atom A Clippers from Niverville.
The Flames, which includes players from Niverville and Ste. Agathe, clinched the Provincial title after sweeping the Winnipeg Wild 8–3 in a best-of-three series. The Flames won gold in game two.
The Flames not only managed to capture the medal but did so by possibly setting a local record—going completely undefeated in their league, as well as at Provincials.
“Many factors [led] to our success,” says Flames coach Lynette Penner. “[We have a] very talented group of young women, both in their defensive and offensive game.”
With 11 of 15 players returning from last season, the Flames were primed for a successful year. They dominated almost every tournament they were part of. The team won gold in both the Eastman and Regina tournaments, and took home silver and bronze in Edmonton and Winnipeg, respectively. The only tournament where they didn’t medal was in Ottawa, though they were able to walk away with strategies to elevate their game.
“We continue challenging the players with new defensive and offensive systems,” Penner says of how the team managed to adapt their play to match their opponents. “[We also] entered tournaments to play against other teams we normally don’t play, [and that] helped a lot to learn how to adapt to different styles.”
With the title of Provincial champions, the team will now move on to represent Team Manitoba in the Western Canadian Championship, which runs from March 27–30 in St. Albert, Alberta. The tournament will see many exciting match-ups, as each province sends their gold and silver medal teams—except for the host province, which sends their top four.
Team Manitoba will begin in Pool A and face off against Saskatchewan this Thursday morning, then take on one of the Alberta teams in the afternoon.
“We are expecting great competition and feel the girls are ready to compete,” says Penner. “It’s pretty unreal that we went through league play and Provincials play undefeated. It’s hard to put into words how proud we are of that accomplishment. [There are] many highlights, but winning Provincials and becoming Team Toba has got to be top of the list!”
