Top 16 in the province is impressive – but 13th in a field of 189 teams might make the point even more clearly.

That was the end result for the Northern Chill TLS (14U) Black Ice – but not before fighting tooth and nails at Provincials last month to achieve it.

Entering the tournament ranked 27th in Ontario in their age group, the Sudbury girls put together a memorable opening day performance, knocking off, in succession, the Lakeside Mambele from Oakville (#22 – 25-17, 25-23), the SC (South County) Bandits Black Badgers from Windsor (#19 – 25-20, 25-16) and the Durham Rebels Falcons (#30 – 13-25, 25-20, 15-12).

Jumping eight spots in the rankings, the 14U Chill Black Ice battled stiffer competition on day two, beaten 20-25, 16-25 by the Titans Eclipse from Scarborough and 11-25, 25-22, 12-15 by Synergy Ultra, also from Scarborough, setting up a key matchup with the Smash Raiders Attack (Hamilton / Waterdown), with a top 16 placement on the line.

Falling 25-22 in the opening set, the northern girls trailed 24-20 but staved off a Tier III ranking with a 27-25 comeback triumph, carrying that momentum through to a lopsided third set victory (15-6).

The Maverick Outlaws (#7) from Ottawa, a top ten team from start to finish this year, would prevail in playoff Sunday (25-17, 25-23), but not before the Northern Chill entry had proven to themselves that they have what it takes to push the very best teams in the province to the edge.

“I have had some talented teams in the past, but none can compare to this,” noted Chill head coach Patrick Gervais. “It wasn’t only their talent, but their enthusiasm for the sport, their drive to learn, their drive to get better.”

“This is a very special group of girls.”

The 2024-2025 edition of the Northern Chill 14U Black Ice features Emma DeMarchi, Grace Perron, Adèle Gervais, Sophie Marshall, Addison Peplinski, Truleigh Boivin, Ivana Coluzzi, Eliza Rybiak, Nova Debassige, Reese Morris, Piper Hamilton-Bachiu and Makenzie Switzer, as well as head coach Patrick Gervais, assistant coach Maria Peplinski and team manager Cindy Switzer.