It was full steam ahead for Oceanside’s Midget Icebreakers last Sunday as they crushed the Cowichan Thunderbirds 6-1 and earned themselves an unbeaten record over the Christmas break.
It was the squad’s eighth straight win and has them top of the heap in their 8-team Island league at 8-0.
“The girls played great,” head coach Mike Squire confirmed after the latest win — “they’re buying into the systems, and just a great job by (rookie head coach) Marissa Jordan who’s taking over the reigns this year.”
Marissa, as reported back in August, was a trailblazer in these parts playing hockey with the boys and helping pave the way for high level female hockey. She was the co-founder, captain, and leading scorer of the Mid Island Blackhawks female hockey team, and this year decided to give back to the game behind the bench.
“She’s doing great. The girls have responded really well. It’s a great group of girls, and we’re having a blast,” said Squire, and made the point “having Marissa, a female player-turned coach, it’s inspirational for the girls, and it motivates them to excel more.”
The squad is made up mostly of Gr. 10-12s, but they also have three underage players in Gr. 9 “and we also have a Gr. 8.”
One thing for certain, these Icebreakers have teams on their heels in a hurry with loads of give-and-goes, and on Sunday they had the visitors hemmed in their end for most of the game.
The two teams played to a scoreless first period tie, and the Icebreakers broke through for a 3-1 lead after the second, and nailed down the win with three more markers in the third.
Sophie DeBruyne led the charge with two goals, and Marijke Campbell, Madison Chamberlain, Lexi Kosteckyj and Lindsay Pilton all pitched in with singles. Maddy Meyer was minding the twine for the win in net.
“We can definitely put the puck in the net,” Squire confirmed with a chuckle — the Midget Icebreakers have outscored their opponents 49-12 to this point — “but we’re also very strong defensively. We only allowed 16 shots on net Sunday,”
The team plays 14 regular games all in preparation for their Island playoffs in March and cap off the season after that at the Richmond Ice Classic tournament — one of the biggest female hockey tournaments in Western Canada with over 70 teams.
GAME ON: The Icebreakers are off for Christmas and return to action Jan. 13.