Lloydminster PWM Steelers goaltender Harlee Houle — otherwise known as “Harlee Houdini” — had plenty of magic tricks up her sleeve while steering the host team all the way to the playoff round at the Esso Cup.
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Houle, a 16-year-old native of Spruce Grove, was simply sensational in stopping 50 shots before the eventual gold-medallists, the Edmonton Junior Oilers, finally posted a 1-0 overtime victory over the Steelers in the Friday night semifinal at the national U18 AAA girls’ hockey championship.
It was a game for the history books, and it attracted more than 1,000 fans as the Centennial Civic Centre nears the end of its six decades of entertainment.
“I was just trying to stay calm,” Houle said. “I didn’t want to give (the Oilers) anything. Just stay calm.”
Mission accomplished.
With just 1:20 left in the 10-minute overtime period, and only 12 seconds remaining on the power play, it took a quality shot from Edmonton blue-liner Ciara Lang to end the Steelers’ chances of going for gold the next day.
“It was a great shot, for sure,” said Houle, who was chosen as the top goaltender in the six-team tournament. “No shame. Good for her.”
Lang knew it would take a strong shot to solve Houle’s mastery against the highly touted Edmonton franchise, which went on to defeat the Saskatoon Stars 7-3 in the gold-medal game Saturday.
“She’s an unbelievable goalie, but we just peppered her (with shots) and I think one was going to come soon,” said Lang, whose historic goal came when she fired a wrist shot high on Houle’s blocker side. “I’m glad we could do that to win it and take it to the next game.
“I kind of saw the girls using it as a screen. I just shot it through (the crowd) and I’m glad it went in.”
As the hosts, the Steelers were the only team to play six straight days of evening games before the medal-round action Saturday. After posting gritty performances and comebacks all week, Lloydminster couldn’t replicate that script one more time, falling 4-1 to the North York (Ont.) Storm in the bronze-medal game, a 1 p.m. start Saturday. That was just 15 hours after the Steelers stepped off the ice from an exhausting semifinal marathon.
Steelers coach Dan Auchenberg said he owed it to Houle to give her the start again Saturday after her standout game Friday. She eventually gave way to Grace Deveau in the second half of the bronze-medal game.
Afterward, Houle reflected on the mixed
emotions for the Steelers, especially for the senior players who are graduating from this year’s team.
“Lots of them are pretty upset, but it’s also bittersweet because it’s a great season for them to go out on,” she said. “But it’s obviously sad that some of them aren’t going to be playing hockey anymore. Some of them are going to go on to play college hockey.”
Scouts kept a close eye on Houle during the Esso Cup, and though she played like a player bound for college sooner rather than later, she’s still in high school and plans to be back in Lloyd next winter to play with the Steelers.
“It was really good,” Houle said about her maiden season at the U18 AAA level. “It’s probably the best year I’ve ever played. I’m very proud of where we came from and how much we succeeded throughout the year.”
Heading home for the spring and summer, she’s up for another challenge as she plays baseball with the boys, putting her glove-hand to good use again while manning first base.
The drama in Friday’s late semifinal was palpable.
On the sequence that gave Edmonton a power play with 3:08 left in overtime, Raevyn Neahr was penalized for hooking Cadence Richards near the Steelers’ blue-line. Richards broke in alone, but Houle answered the bell with another big save.
“We know that Lloyd always plays us hard,” said Oilers assistant coach Sage Sansregret. “It was a battle between us and the crowd for a little bit, too, so the kids had to learn a lot and I think that they brought that into (the final).
“It was a great goal (by Lang). I don’t know how high I jumped on the bench, but it was up there.”
Edmonton outshot Lloyd 51-22 as Ella Dunham-Fox posted the shutout.
‘PROUD OF OUR GIRLS’
As they pushed their way into the semifinal matchup with unbeaten Edmonton, the Steelers showed everyone that they shouldn’t even be considered as token hosts.
“It was just a phenomenal game,” said Auchenberg, the Lloyd coach. “The girls gave it all they had. I couldn’t ask for more. Unfortunately, we didn’t score. But we were a minute and a half away from a shootout. How can you not be happy?
“I can’t be more proud of our girls for beating three teams that are representing their provinces and their regions.”
The Steelers have evolved into a flagship program for Lloydminster minor hockey and their future looks even brighter after a spring-like week of national-calibre hockey.
Around the rink, many were talking about the more-than-respectable showing by the Steelers, who had an extended layoff this spring after being bumped in the first round of the Alberta Female Hockey League playoffs.
At the Esso Cup, they survived three straight nights of potential elimination games before eventually falling in the semifinals. Houle was a constant in those must-win games.
“She’s the best goalie here,” Auchenberg said. “When she’s on, she’s unreal. She’s going to be a great player wherever she goes. She’ll get an NCAA scholarship down the road, and that’s her dream.”
With about half of the Steelers in their final year of U18 eligibility, their Esso Cup dreams have come to an end, but university hockey beckons for most of them.
Sadee Reinders, a graduating forward from Leduc, scored the final goal in the Steelers’ memorable season. She was Lloyd’s lone scorer against North York in the bronze-medal game.
“It was pretty hard,” she said about playing the third-place game just hours after the semifinal defeat. “Last night was kind of a heartbreaker — we thought we had it. Coming to the rink today, I don’t think we were fully over it yet. We came in with a positive mindset, but it didn’t go our way. (The Storm) capitalized on our mistakes in the D zone, but it was a good match.”
The Storm had played in the Friday afternoon semifinal and lost 3-2 to Saskatoon.
Tears were evident on Steeler faces after their final game, but there were hugs and smiles all around to match their celebratory season.
“It was so much fun,” said Reinders, 18. “Dan (coach Auchenberg) says memories last forever. It was a great experience. I’m so happy that (playoff push) was the way for us to go out. I think we made Lloyd proud. It’s awesome.”
After playing two years of AA in Leduc, Reinders made the jump to AAA this season in Lloyd. She plans to attend Red Deer Polytechnic to become a teacher and hopes to continue playing hockey.
One of her Lloyd teammates, forward Natalie Tychkowsky, is already committed to playing at the collegiate level in Red Deer, beginning next season.
Multiple other Steelers have also made college commitments for next season or the year after, and more opportunities are expected to arise from scouting done during the Esso Cup.
Lloyd’s commitment list includes forwards Ashlyn Hinton and Ryann Rekimowich (both to Lakeland College), forward Skylar Heinrichs (Mount Royal), defenceman Kennedy McQuade (St. Thomas) and goaltender Deveau (Trinity Western). Heinrichs still has one more of eligibility remaining with the Steelers.
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