Losing four straight games to the Americans in the Road to Italy Rivalry Series by a combined score of 24-7 was not at all the kind of lead-in to the Olympics that the Canadian women’s hockey team was looking for, to be sure.
Thankfully, on a girls hockey front, the news is far more encouraging on a local level as several of the Sudbury Lady Wolves' teams hit the midway point in their schedules, readying themselves for a new year’s push to playdowns and provincials.
Capping off a super busy three week stretch with a chance to host a trio of games this past weekend, the U18 AA Lady Wolves went three for three, sweeping a pair from the New Tecumseh IceCats on Saturday (5-2 and 4-0) and following that up with a 2-0 whitewashing of the Toronto Aeros the next day.
Underage sniper Ella Sabourin torched the IceCats with back to back hat tricks, with Gabby Cholette, Trinity Cheechoo and Avery Mininni adding one goal apiece. Goaltender Kate Bouchard blanked New Tecumseth in game two with Chloe Trudeau following suit against Toronto the next day, her offensive support coming courtesy of Trinity Cheechoo and Leah Salo.
With the wins, Sudbury vaulted their way up to second place in the Central Division standings, their record of 9-3-0 (18 points) trailing only the Central York Panthers at 12-2-0 (24). All in all, it made for a very positive week for the girls – but even moreso for 17 year-old defenceman Rylee Morris, who confirmed her commitment to the University of Southern Maine Huskies (NCAA – Division III) for next fall.
With her sights set on becoming a lawyer some day, Morris is looking forward to maintaining hockey in the mix while she pursues her long-term career goals south of the border. “I’ve always loved playing hockey – and it’s all about hockey there,” stated the grade 12 student at Confederation Secondary School.
“They’re up every morning, playing hockey. In the afternoon, they’re training. I think I can keep up with my studiesand I get to experience things in another country.”
The Huskies are part of a six-team Little East Conference, currently sporting a record of 4-2-0 in league play and sitting second to the Norwich University Cadets (6-0-0). Considered a very good decision maker with the puck on her stick, Morris also brings a physical element that she sees as being even more viable at the next level up.
“You look at the PWHL and they are allowed to be physical,” said Morris. “But if someone is smaller than me, I am not going to go in and cross-check them from behind. If I know that I can play my body, a little, that they can take it and I can take the puck away, then I think that’s an opportunity to do it without hurting anyone.”
The return to league play came on the heels of a super competitive five game set that the U18 AA Lady Wolves contested in Kitchener a week earlier as part of the USA Canada Cup Series.
A relentless forechecker who enjoys playing hard on the puck, veteran forward Leah Salo has opened some eyes with a nice jump in her offensive production this year, potting four goals in the weekend in Kitchener and accounting for half of her team’s total offense.
“I thought last weekend especially, I was kind of in the right spot at the right time,” said Salo.
“But I do have to give a lot of credit to my teammates. A lot of the times, they did the work to get me the puck. I have been working on my quick release in front of the net.”
The Lady Wolves have three games remaining before taking a holiday break, with a home encounter Thursday against the North Bay Junior Lakers serving as as pre-cursor to a final trek south to face the North York Storm and Caledon Coyotes on December 20th and 21st.
One level down, the Sudbury U18 A Lady Wolves wrapped up their first half schedule in style, upending the New Tecumseh IceCats by scores of 4-0 and 3-1 and securing first place into the new year with an impressive record of 13-1-1.
The U18 BB Lady Wolves are matching the “A” crew stride for stride, also holding down top spot in the standings in the nine team North Division with a mark of 10-0-1. The girls recorded a key road sweep over the third place Orillia Hawks on the weekend (3-0 and 5-3) and find themselves ranked 7th overall in the province at the moment.
And simply in an effort to keep things relatively consistent in the U18 age group, the Sudbury “B” girls are also atop their echelon (North Division), though the second place North Bay Jr Lakers (8-1-3 = 19) do hold four games in hand on the Lady Wolves (10-4-2 = 22).
And some very good news for many of local female hockey talent when it was announced, last month, that the Sault College Cougars have been accepted into the top division of the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) ranks.
A perennial powerhouse and national championship entry at both Division 2 and Division 3 brackets, the Cougars currently sport a 12-0 record again this year, outscoring their opponents 104-7 so far this winter. Scoreboards that featured victories of 18-0 and 13-0 scream to the need for this squad to compete against more-skilled opponents.
Come the fall of 2026, this will be the case, which is great news for the likes of Lady Wolves’ alumnus Ava Bois, Gracie Dale, Materia Land, Katelynn Jacques, Peyton Stos and Farrah Farstad, all of whom are part of the 2025-2026 roster for the Sault College Cougars.
