The Sudbury U18 BB Lady Wolves capped off a six game undefeated run at the Barrie Sharkfest Tournament last weekend, edging the Ottawa Valley Thunder 2-1 in the final and adding on to a very successful season to date.

Leading the OHWL Central North division with a record of 6-2-2, the local girls bolted out of the gates, blitzing the Stratford Aces 4-1 in their tournament opener as Nyssa Solomon potted a pair of goals for the winners.

Izabel Courville and Reese Williamson rounded out the scoring for the Lady Wolves, who gave away their only point in a 3-3 tie with the North Simcoe Capitals later the same day.

Hannah Sullivan and Isabelle Lanteigne joined Nyssa Solomon on the scoresheet for Sudbury as North Simcoe drew even with just four seconds to play, with Jocelynn Hewson burying her second goal of the game.

The U18 BB crew spotted the Lucan Irish a 1-0 first period lead but stormed back with a second period tally from Nyssa Solomon and two unaswered third period strikes from Isabelle Lanteigne, improving to 2-0-1 with a 3-1 triumph.

Facing the Cambridge Roadrunners to close out round robin play, Lady Wolves netminder Daniela Grottoli shut the door, registering a 3-0 shutout victory as Reese Williamson, Berkely Pitura and Mya Massimiliano all found the back of the net for the northern crew.

A hat trick by Isabelle Lanteigne that was punctuated by her third goal into an empty net helped to lift the Lady Wolves to a 4-1 semi-final win over the South Huron Sabres, with Reese Williamson picking up her third goal of the weekend to put a lid on the attack.

The final proved to be a test for the squad that were down one defender, rotating five blueliners in front of Daniela Grottoli and Macey Gaudin-Blanchette and limiting opponents to a goal or less in all but one game.

That was the case again in the gold medal affair as a first period goal by Izabel Courville looked like it might stand, with Sudbury leading 1-0 versus Ottawa Valley heading into the final period of play.

The Thunder drew even early in the final frame but Reese Williamson got that one back 70 seconds later, her tally standing as the game and tournament winning goal.

"The girls have been working really hard this season leading into the tournament", said head coach Paul Courville. "It's been a team-first approach, with girls committing to skill sessions at NHA, dryland sessions and practices, ensuring they are prepared to compete."

"For many, it's their first time in the OWHL, so there's lots of travel and lots of hockey and I'm happy to see they are on a good path. We can always get better, but we have to celebrate this achievement."

Rounding out the 2023-2024 Sudbury U18 BB lineup are Gracie Dale, Breeanna Sullivan, Ava Bignucolo, Bella Massimiliano, Brooke Gibeault, Haley Moores-Seguin, Gabby Foreshew and Amanda Syncox, with assistant coaches Aaron Akia, Daryl Foreshew, Jason Sullivan, Ryan Liinamaa, goalie coach Emily O'Bright, trainer Amanda Gaudin, manager Andrew Dale and assistant manager Mark Gibeault joining Paul Courville on the team staff.

The U15 BB and U22 A Lady Wolves also advanced to the finals, losing 1-0 and 2-1 to the Woodstock Wildcats and Barrie Sharks, respectively, while the U13 AA and U13 BB Sudbury entries were eliminated in semi-final action.

The Sudbury U15 BB Lady Wolves also went 3-0-1 in their preliminary round game, trimming the Stoney Creek Sabres 2-1 in the semi-finals before settling for silver.

Part of a three team division, the U22 Lady Wolves took an 0-1-1 record into their semi-final affair, slipping past the Brampton Canadettes 2-1 in the semis and dropping an equally close affair in the finals.

The Sudbury U13 AA Lady Wolves had racked up victories over the Kingston Ice Wolves (2-0), Bluewater Hawks (6-0) and Barrie Sharks (4-1) before being sent packing by the Oakville Hornets, 3-0.

The Sudbury U13 BB Lady Wolves added one more "W" to the U13 AA resume, getting the better of the Caledon Coyotes (6-0), Etobicoke Dolphis (4-2) and North Simcoe Capitals (3-1), whitewashing the Woodstock Wildcats 3-0 in quarter-final action before losing a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Orangeville Tigers in final four play.

The Sudbury Girls Hockey Association are currently busy putting the finishing touches on the 2023 Snowflake Challenge set for December 8th to the 10th, with a field of largely houseleague teams in town for the event this year.