The U13 AA Western Financial Steelers celebrate their provincial gold medal after a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Fire at the Servus Sports Centre over the weekend. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos.
While most were hunkered down at home enjoying Easter weekend with family, the U13 AA Western Financial Steelers were busy winning a provincial gold medal on home ice.
The U13 AA Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) provincial championships were held at the Servus Sports Centre over the weekend, with the Steelers beating the Calgary Fire 3-1 on Sunday in the gold-medal game.
The provincial championship capped the Steelers’ storied season, which saw them wrap the regular season with a 21-0 record before representing Zone 7 at the Alberta Winter Games in Grande Prairie from Feb. 16-19 where they got their first taste for gold.
Scarlett Aultman hits the brakes on Sunday afternoon during the U13 AA provincial championship game at the Servus Centre.
Provincials kicked off last Thursday with the Steelers first facing off against the Central Alberta Twins, beating them 1-0 before losing 4-3 to the Fire on Friday. Despite the loss, the Steelers bested the St. Albert Raiders Bolts 9-2 that same day before a tight 5-4 win over the Sherwood Park Mustangs on Saturday, punching their ticket to Sunday’s gold-medal game.
With plenty of Fire fans in the stands, the Steelers had to block out the white noise and leave everything on the ice, which is exactly what they did.
Lloyd’s Ashley Oborowsky, who was also Sunday’s player of the game for the home team, was first to light the lamp at 10:31 in the first before teammate Scarlett Aultman made it 2-0 at 5:26 in the second.
Ashley Oborowsky, who was Sunday’s player of the game for the Steelers, moves the puck around the back of the net during third-period action at the multiplex.
Aultman got her second of the game at 3:05 in the third for a 3-0, but Calgary’s Hadley Herman was able to sneak one past Steelers netminder Brielle Winter, breaking her shutout, at 8:05 in the third for a 3-1 final.
Head coach, Ryan Payne, who’s seen his team accomplish incredible feats this year, was somewhat speechless following post-game celebrations.
“It feels awesome. We can’t believe it at this point; we’re super excited,” said Payne. “The girls played a great game.”
Oborowsky and teammates, Avery Newton and Alyssa Payne, all agreed the win felt great, especially considering this was the first year the AFHL has hosted a U13 AA female championship with the growing number of players.
After such a successful season, the three forwards attribute their on-ice success to a strong family dynamic, something coach Payne saw from day one.
“This is a very special group of girls,” he said. “We knew they’d be good from the start, but we didn’t know how good or how special they were. They all listen, work hard, and put in effort in practice, and it seemed like every time we were down a bit, someone, or a group of them, stepped up.”
Not only was the weekend-long event a season highlight for players, but it also had Michelle Skilnick, manager of events and community engagement with Hockey Alberta, buzzing.
Ashley Oborowsky, who was Sunday’s player of the game for the Steelers, moves the puck around the back of the net during third-period action at the multiplex.
“It’s a huge weekend,” she said on Saturday afternoon. “It’s the top teams in the province competing for the championship, and being the first year for a U13 AA championship, it’s a huge accomplishment for them.
“We’re very happy to have this level of hockey, and having Lloyd step up to host has been great.”
Skilnick noted the tournament featured the local and five league teams, with Lloyd playing an excellent host.
“It’s a great facility and it’s got lots of people in it right now. It’s always nice to have the stands filled and be able to cheer on everybody.”
