ILDERTON - The Styles by Sam Sharks almost ran the table at the Novice ‘C’ girls Silver Stick hockey tournament held here over the Dec. 26-28 weekend.
After defeating arch-rival Lucan 4-2 in the tourney opener, Styles by Sam then made a courageous comeback against the hosts, down 3-1 heading into the third period, but scoring four unanswered goals to win 5-3 to close out Saturday’s play.
On Sunday, Sharks finished their perfect pool play with a 5-1 defeat of South Huron, which sent them to the semi-finals against St. Thomas. The score was tied 0-0 late in the second period, but Styles by Sam then ran away for a 4-0 victory and a berth in the final.
Lucan defeated Ilderton in the other semi-final, and avenged their earlier loss to St. Marys by winning 3-1 for the gold medal. The two finalists have now played each other a total of four times this season—each winning twice.
In the final, Styles by Sam goalie Maia Moore—who played four of the five games—was brilliant again between the pipes.
Lucan held a 1-0 lead heading into the third, but Abbey Thorup quickly erased the lead as she won the period’s opening face-off and raced down through the middle to tie the score.
It was Thorup’s team-leading 25th goal of the season, and continued her streak of scoring at least once in the team’s last nine games. Thorup also made an amazing backcheck of Lucan’s best player, catching her on a breakaway at the last moment.
Mia Valcke and crash-banging Joanna Van De Walle also thwarted the Irish’s top scorer on breakaways, and the rest of St. Marys’ defensive core of Carly Plain, Hannah Kooy, Robyn Lewis and Lauren Cameron limited her not only to no goals in the game, but not even one shot.
Despite the majority of action being in Lucan’s end, the Irish did manage to tuck in a rebound and score on a screened shot to claim the gold medal and a berth in the International Silver Stick championship in Cold Creek, Ont.
“To see our girls play with such heart and energy in their third game of the day on Sunday was extremely pleasing, and every one of them chipped in,” coach Marc Cameron said.
“It’s usually a coin toss when we play Lucan, and in the final the bounces went their way. Their defence really clogged the front of the net, and every time we got in close, they seemed to get their sticks on the puck at the last second.”
The loss in the final ended an 11-game winning streak for Styles by Sam. Over their past 12 games, they have scored 68 goals while allowing just 17. Their overall season record now stands at 15-5-1.
St. Marys 4 St. Thomas 0
(Semi-finals)
Katie McCurdy out-battled a scramble in front of the Panthers’ net to feed Mia Valcke, who lifted a shot over the crowd and into the top shelf for the game’s first goal late in the second period. It was Valcke’s 23rd goal of the campaign.  
Shortly after, Valcke won a face-off and pulled off a spinnerama back-hand pass over to Madison Walsh, who one-timed her 10th goal of the season to boost the lead to 2-0.
Rebecca Knarr made a pair of strong rushes to the net, shaking off defenders, and Kaylea Connolly was denied on a pair of strong efforts out front.
In the third, Abbey Thorup won a face-off and Aimee King drilled home her 24th of the season, and Thorup closed out the scoring on a breakaway.
Moore played another strong game in net for St. Marys, turning away two St. Thomas breakaways to earn the shutout.
St. Marys 5 South Huron 1
King’s tireless racing up and down the ice throughout the entire weekend would have rivaled the ‘Energizer Bunny’. She opened the scoring when Lily Daum grinded the puck out of a scrum and passed it to Walsh, who fed King for a hard 20-footer.
Lauren Cameron out-hustled two Sabres to steal a puck and feed Thorup to make it 2-0 closing out the first. King set up Daum for a shot and Walsh was all over the rebound like a sociable St. Bernard—putting St. Marys up three.
Plain played net for Styles by Sam and made a supreme right-toe kick-save that stood out. Valcke made a beautiful deke to the right and tucked it in to finish a breakaway at the end of the second, and King finished up with a zig-zag move through defenders and hard wrist shot that tickled the twine.
St. Marys 5 Ilderton 3
In a game that demonstrated character beyond the age of seven and eight-year-olds, Styles by Sam entered the third period trailing 3-1, with only 10 minutes to change their fate.
Four goals later, they nailed down the comeback victory, 5-3, guaranteeing them first spot in Pool ‘A’. Moore shone in net, and she needed to as both her and her Jets’ counterpart stood on their heads keeping their respective teams in the game.
Lewis made a huge defensive robbery as Ilderton’s best player was denied a breakaway, and Kooy repeated the feat in the third period—this time using the body whereas Lewis’s effort was more stick work.
Down 1-0, Thorup drove in from the left side, shot, and King was there to deposit the rebound and tie it up.
After the hosts put up a two-spot in the second, early in the third Thorup won a face-off, and Stacey Shackleton worked a gorgeous give-and-go back to Thorup, who narrowed the lead to one.
Soon after, King grinded to the net, Thorup grabbed the puck and scored off a 360-degree move to tie it. King then took the game into her hands, going coast-to-coast and jamming home the go-ahead goal. With the Ilderton goalie pulled, Thorup stole the puck and netted her natural hat trick.
St. Marys 4 Lucan 2
Kooy set the tone with some hard shots from the point, and Knarr took a couple of blocked shots for the team, and the rest followed suit.
King poked in Thorup’s rebound to open the scoring. Moore was outstanding in net for the Sharks, showing amazing agility going post-to-post.
Early in the second, Valcke—who dogged Lucan’s best player all game—sent a clearing pass to King, who fired an outstanding corner shot off balance to double the lead.
Going into the third ahead 2-1, Thorup’s long shot from the right point found string music, and when the never-say-die Irish narrowed the gap to one, Thorup replied one more time to ice the victory.
St. Marys 7 Tillsonburg 2
In recent league play, Madison Walsh opened the scoring, thanks to assists from Cameron and Van De Walle. King then set up Connolly out front, who buried the puck through the narrowest of openings.
Connolly then returned the favour, setting up King, whose hard wrist shot made it 3-0 after the first period.
Midway through the second, Walsh hit King with a perfect clearing pass, who smoothly deked and tucked in the game’s fourth goal. Walsh then assisted as Shackleton showed patience and soft hands as she waited out the goalie and drilled home her third goal in the past four games.
Early in the third, Thorup picked a Tornado pocket and scored a beauty, and King hit Walsh on the fly with just 49 seconds remaining and she closed out the scoring.
Lewis played well in net and notched her third win of the season.