Sportop Queens Team Information Guide
Queens Esso Cup Guide
Sportop Queens Team Information Guide
Queens Esso Cup Guide
Photo courtesy Alan McEachern/Hockey Canada
April 24 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens are Esso Cup Canadian National Female Midget Hockey champions.
Kaitlyn Tougas redirected a point shot from her sister Courtney with 8:36 remaining as the Queens rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Notre Dame Hounds 4-3 in the gold medal game of the Esso Cup Saturday in Regina, Sask.
Notre Dame would carry the play early on in the contest and would open the scoring as Olivia Howe's backhander deflected off the outstretched glove of Thunder Bay netminder Amanda Makela and in at 4:55.
The Queens would find their skating legs midway through the opening frame and would start to take the action to Notre Dame.
Thunder Bay was rewarded with the equalizer with five minutes remaining in the first period as Esso Cup most valuable player Kaitlyn Tougas scored a highlight reel goal.
She took a pass from Michela Cava and skated in on the right side, slipped the puck through the legs of a Hounds defender while darting around her before making a nifty deke to the left then pulling back and slipping the tying goal past a sprawling Tamber Tisdale in the Notre Dame net.
The Western region champion Hounds would retake the lead early in the middle stanza as Brienna Gillanders tapped home a loose puck in the late stages of a power play opportunity.
Notre Dame would strike again with the extra player advantage as Brittany Berisoff slammed home a shot into the open side at 11:25.
Thunder Bay would pull to within one with a power play tally of their own a few minutes later as Courtney Tougas unloaded a blast from the point through a maze of players amassed in front of Tisdale.
The Queens would then equalize with the fourth power play marker of the contest before the period was out as a Cava attempt found its way into the short side of the net to make it 3-3 after 40 minutes.
Thunder Bay would take their first lead of the game midway through the third period converting on the power play yet again as Kaitlyn Tougas deftly redirected a point shot by her sister Courtney through the legs of Tisdale at 11:24 for the eventual championship-winning goal.
Makela made 30 saves to register the win with Tisdale making 24 stops in a losing cause.
Kaitlyn Tougas was named the Queens player of the game while Hounds captain and Geraldton native Crystal Duhaime earned the honour for her side.
Of note, with the Queens capturing the Esso Cup they join their local counterparts in the Thunder Bay Kings and become the first community in Canadian history to win a national midget hockey championship in both the female and male age groups.
The Kings claimed Air Canada Cup (now TELUS Cup) national midget championship crowns in both 1995 (Sherbrooke, Que.) & in 1997. (New Glasgow, N.S.)
Had Notre Dame won, they, along with the town of Wilcox, Sask., would have held the honour.
April 23 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens will play for the gold medal at the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship in Regina, Sask., after defeating the Edmonton Thunder 2-1 Friday afternoon in semifinal action.
The Queens now move on to the championship game vs. the winner of the other semifinal match-up between the Notre Dame Hounds and Regina Rebels with the gold medal contest slated to be shown on TSN2 at 4 p.m. CT. Edmonton will play in the bronze medal game Saturday morning at 10 a.m. vs. the loser of the Notre Dame - Regina affair.
Like it has been all season long, the Thunder Bay defence was stellar in the semifinal. It was buoyed by the standout goaltending of Amanda Makela who made 35 saves in registering the win while earning team player of the game laurels in the process.
The Queens would get all the offence they would need in the opening period as Courtney Tougas tallied twice in a two-minute and 18-second span. Kaitlyn Quarrell set-up both markers while Jana Henry had an additional assist.
Julie Murrell would get the Pacific region champion Thunder on the board midway through the second stanza, but that's as close as they would get.
Neither team would score in the final frame giving Thunder Bay the berth in gold medal game on Saturday.
Shots on goal favoured Edmonton 36-29 with Makela earning the win and Morgan Glover making 27 saves in a losing cause. Glover picked up the player of the award for her side.
April 22 -- Two members of the Thunder Bay Sportop Queens were recognized at the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship awards banquet Thursday evening in Regina, Sask.
Kaitlyn Tougas and Kaitlyn Quarrell were named most valuable player and most sportsmanlike player respectively Hockey Canada announced following the banquet.
The Queens will now prepare for semifinal play Friday afternoon as the take on the Edmonton Thunder at 2 p.m. CT. The host Regina Rebels will square off against the Notre Dame Hounds at 7 p.m. CT in the other.
The 2010 Esso Cup award winners:
Most Valuable Player
– Kaitlyn Tougas, Thunder Bay Sportop Queens (Ontario)Most Sportsmanlike Player
– Kaitlyn Quarrell, Thunder Bay Sportop Queens (Ontario)Top Goaltender
– Samantha Langford, Regina Rebels (Host)Top Defensive Player
– Riana Magee, Edmonton Thunder (Pacific)Top Forward
– Janik Robichaud, Moncton Rockets (Atlantic)Top Scorer
– Brienna Gillanders, Notre Dame Hounds (Western)
April 22 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens secured top spot in round robin play at the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship in Regina, Sask., Thursday with a 5-2 victory over the previously unbeaten Notre Dame Hounds.
The Western region champion Hounds would open the scoring three minutes into the contest as Olivia Howe beat Thunder Bay starter Megan Leikkari.
The Queens would answer back with a pair of power play markers in the latter stages of the opening frame on goals by Brittany Zuback and Kaitlyn Quarrell. Michela Cava and Brianna Iazzolino would draw the assists on both plays.
Thunder Bay captain Jana Henry would make it 3-1 early in the middle frame while Quarrell struck shorthanded at 6:20 with her second of the contest to put Ontario champs in control.
Quarrell, who earned player of the game laurels, would complete her hat-trick at 12:33 of the third period before Notre Dame's Taylor Woods added a late tally to round out the scoring.
Leikkari made 32 saves to pick up the win for her side while Tamber Tisdale was saddled with the loss facing 24 shots.
With the triumph the Queens finish first in round robin action with a 4-1 record and now advance to one semifinal where they will take on the fourth place Edmonton Thunder at 2 p.m. CT.
April 21 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens jumped out to a first period lead and never relinquished it en route to a 5-2 victory over the Moncton Rockets Wednesday afternoon in day four action at the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship in Regina, Sask.
Michela Cava put the Queens up a goal seven minutes into the contest on an assist from Brittany Zuback.
Kaitlyn Quarrell increased the lead nine minutes later finishing off the feed from Kylie Cornell to put the Queens up a pair after one period of play.
Zuback, who earned the Queens player of the game award, increased the lead to 3-0 early in the middle frame with Kaitlyn Tougas and Brianna Iazzolino drawing assists.
Katherine Richard would get the Rockets off the ground slipping one past Amanda Makela in the Thunder Bay net at 7:19.
Cornell and Janik Robichaud would then exchange markers later in the stanza to make it 4-2 after 40 minutes.
The Queens defence stood tall the rest of the way shutting down Moncton offensively while Kaitlyn Tougas iced it late in the match with an empty net marker.
Shots on goal favoured the Queens 37-21.
With the win Thunder Bay improves to 3-1 at the Esso Cup and will wrap up round-robin play Thursday at 1 p.m. CT when they take on the unbeaten Notre Dame Hounds.
Game story courtesy of Hockey Canada
April 20 -- Michela Cava, Brianna Iazzolino and Kaitlyn Tougas all scored within two minutes of each other midway through the first period Tuesday to help the Thunder Bay Queens to a 5-1 win over the Richelieu Remparts in day three action at the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship being staged in Regina, Sask.
Cava kicked off the trio of goals at 7:49 on a pass from Tougas with Iazzolino following up exactly a minute later at 8:49 with help from Kaitlyn Quarrell and Tougas pocketing one of her own at 9:23 in the first, with the assist this time going to Brittany Zuback.
The Queens reigned supreme from there on out, with the Remparts representing Quebec scrambling to keep up with the quick pace of the play on the ice. Tougas scored her second goal and third point of the game at just over five minutes into the second, with Cava pocketing another point herself by picking up credit for the assist.
The Remparts attempted to create some offensive chances, with a couple of Quebec players sneaking into the slot to find a spot alone in front of Amanda Makela, but the Ontario netminder stood he ground throughout the second period, and Thunder Bay headed into the second intermission sitting comfortably with a 4-0 lead.
But Makela wouldn't walk away with a shutout Tuesday, with Richelieu's late game efforts resulting in a single goal on a power play early in the third. Genevieve Bannon was the player to put it past Makela, taking a pass out front from Allison Chute and sliding the puck over the goal line.
It wasn't enough to catch up to the Queens, however, and Thunder Bay jumped on its own power play to cap off the score at 5-1, with Courtney Tougas snagging her team's final goal with just ten seconds remaining on the clock.
Kaitlyn Tougas was named Player of the Game for the Queens, while Chute received the honour for the Remparts.
Both goalies also had strong games Tuesday, with Makela stopping an impressive 37 shots and Maude Byrns-Handfield standing in Thunder Bay's line of fire to make 22 saves total.
With the victory the Sportop Queens record at the Esso Cup improves to 2-1 heading into the club's next round robin game, which goes Wednesday at 12 p.m. CT vs. the Atlantic champion Moncton Rockets.
April 19 -- Heather Kashman's second goal of the game with just over five minutes remaining proved to be the difference as the Edmonton Thunder defeated the Thunder Bay Sportop Queens 3-2 in day two action of the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship in Regina, Sask.
Kashwan would also open the scoring 16:42 into the contest as she beat Thunder Bay netminder Megan Leikkari for the only goal of the opening period.
The Queens would equalize five minutes into the middle frame as Courtney Tougas set-up Kaitlyn Quarrell to get Thunder Bay on the board.
Brittany Zuback would give the Queens the lead 5:23 into the third period with Kylie Cornell drawing the lone assist.
Kelsie Lang would pull Edmonton even less than a minute later to set the stage for Kashman's eventual game-winner.
Quarrell would go on to pick up the Queens player of the game award while Kashman was recognized for her efforts for the Thunder.
With the loss the Queens record at the Esso Cup falls to 1-1 as the head into their third round robin game Tuesday vs. the Quebec champion Richelieu Remparts. Action gets under way at 12 p.m. CT.
Game story courtesy of Hockey Canada/Photo courtesy Sierra-Chrysalis Imaging Services Ltd.
April 18 -- The goaltenders were the stars of the game Sunday evening inside the Co-operators Centre, with Amanda Makela making 24 saves and Krista Funke stopping 27 shots, but it would be the Thunder Bay Sportop Queens who came out on top 2-1 over the host Regina Rebels in day one action of the Esso Cup National Female Midget Hockey Championship in Regina, Sask.
The Sportop Queens came back from a 1-0 deficit to edge the Rebels, who had a hometown crowd backing them up. The fans erupted in ear-piercing cheers when Patricia McGauley opened the scoring on a power play late in the first on a puck from Brittany MacDougall.
But despite the hoots and hollers from the stands, the action on the ice shifted to Thunder Bay's favour by the time the second rolled around, with Brittany Zuback slipping it by Funke at 17:25 on assists from Michela Cava and Kaitlyn Tougas.
Makela made a spectacular save part way through the second, sliding across the crease to stop a Regina shot and keeping the Queens in the game. Thunder Bay's next goal came at 7:30 in the third, when Courtney Tougas scored the unassisted game-winner.
Despite plenty of back-and-forth play and intensity both in the stands and on the ice, the Thunder Bay Queens skated away with the win to start the tournament.
McGauley was Player of the Game for Regina, while Makela claimed that title for Thunder Bay.
The Queens next game action at the Esso Cup is Monday when they take on the Edmonton Thunder at 4 p.m. CT.
April 11 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens have been crowned provincial champions.
The Queens edged the Stoney Creek Sabres 1-0 in overtime in the gold medal game Sunday afternoon at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincials at Iceland Arena in Mississauga.
Michela Cava was the hero for her squad taking the puck to the net in the extra session and roofing one over top the Stoney Creek netminder for the game-winner. Brittany Zuback and Kaitlyn Tougas drew assists on the play.
Amanda Makela was stellar yet again for the Queens in net stopping all 21 shots she faced in posting her shutout of the weekend.
Thunder Bay went unbeaten in six games allowing only one goal in the process while scoring 14 times.
The Queens now advance to the Esso Cup national female hockey championship April 18-24 in Regina, Sask.
April 11 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens are off to the gold medal game of Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincial championships.
The Queens advanced to the title game by defeating the Stoney Creek Sabres 3-0 in one semifinal game Sunday morning.
They will now meet the Stoney Creek Sabres in the gold medal game at 2:30 p.m. at Iceland Arenas in Mississauga.
The winner there will advance to the Esso Cup national female hockey championship April 18-24 in Regina, Sask.
April 10 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens are guaranteed to play for a medal at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincial championships.
The Queens booked a place in the medal round by defeating the Kingston Ice Wolves 4-1 in quarterfinal action Saturday evening at Iceland Arenas in Mississauga.
Michela Cava would open the scoring for Thunder Bay striking shorthanded on an assist by Kaitlyn Tougas.
Tougas and Breanna Iazzolino would then combine to set-up Brittany Zuback to make it 2-0.
Kingston would narrow the margin to make it interesting only to see Cava pot her second of the night with just three seconds remaining in the second period to restore the two-goal cushion.
Tougas would then round out the scoring in the frame to finish off the scoring.
Amanda Makela picked up the win in goal for Thunder Bay who now advance to the semifinals where they will take on the Willowdale Red Wings Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.
A win there will put the Queens into the championship game at 2:30 p.m. vs. the winner of the other semifinal match-up between the Stoney Creek Sabres and Brampton Canadettes.
April 10 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens are moving on to the quarterfinals of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincial championships.
The Queens punched their ticket to the playoff round by posting their third consecutive shutout in round-robin play, the latest being a 1-0 victory over the Niagara Falls Rapids Saturday morning.
Brittany Zuback scored the game-winning goal for Thunder Bay with Michela Cava drawing the lone assist.
Megan Leikkari posted the shutout in recording the win.
Finishing divisional play unbeaten with earlier victories over Saugeen-Maitland and Burlington, the Queens will now take to the ice Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in quarterfinal action vs. the Kingston Ice Wolves.
April 9 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens are off to a strong start at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincial championships after posting a pair of shutouts in opening day action at Iceland Arenas in Mississauga.
Thunder Bay began play by blanking the Saugeen-Maitland Lightning 3-0 and followed that up by dropping the Burlington Barracudas 2-0.
Courtney Tougas got the Queens on the board three minutes into game one action finishing off a Jana Henry feed for the eventual game-winning goal.
Playing strong defensive hockey added markers from Brittany Zuback on assists by Michela Cava and Kaitlyn Tougas as well as an insurance tally by Elia Heroux on a set-up from Riley Cronk.
Amanda Makela turned aside all 12 shots she faced to register the shutout.
In game two the Queens continued their strong defensive play defeating the Lower Lakes Hockey League champion Burlington on goals by Cava and Zuback.
Megan Leikkari recorded the win in that contest posting the shutout.
Thunder Bay wraps up round robin play Saturday morning when they tangle with the Niagara Falls Rapids at 9:15 a.m.
March 27 -- Two games and two ties were the result for the Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens Saturday against the Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres prep school program at the SSM Ice Arena.
In game one of the day the Queens rallied for a 5-5 draw vs. the Shattuck under-16's and followed that up by battling to a 6-6 deadlock against the Sabres under-19 prep team.
Taking on the U-16 side the home team would open the scoring before Kaitlyn Tougas brought her side level on assists by Michela Cava and Taylor Savard.
The Sabres would once again take the lead only to see Riley Cronk strike unassisted to make it 2-2 after one period of play.
Shattuck-St. Mary's scored three times in the middle frame compared to one by Courtney Tougas of Thunder Bay on a set-up from Jana Henry to make it 5-3 after two periods of action.
The Queens would then rally to tie in the third period as Henry once again fed Courtney Tougas to make it 5-4 before Cava tied it with seven minutes remaining.
Megan Leikkari started in net for the Queens, but was replaced by Amanda Makela in the third.
Taking on the Shattuck prep squad the Queens rode the stellar netminding and a 40-save performance by Makela to come out with the draw.
Kaitlyn Quarrel and Courtney Tougas both tallied twice for Thunder Bay while Kaitlyn Tougas and Haleigh Croves supplied singles. Brittany Zuback also chipped in offensively with three assists and Quarrel had a pair of her own for a three-point night.
Amanda Kessel had a huge game for the Sabres figuring in on all six of her team's markers firing a hat-trick and dishing out three helpers.
The Queens rounds out the trip Sunday with one more contest vs. the SSM U-16 squad at 9 a.m.
March 26 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens got off to a good start in a four-game exhibition series in Faribault, Minn., against teams from the Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres prep school program skating to a 3-2 victory over their under-16 side Friday.
The Queens got off to a quick start getting a goal from Courtney Tougas to open the scoring only to see the Sabres tie it before the opening frame was out.
Thunder Bay would then go up a pair on markers by Ellia Heroux and another when Brittany Zuback and Kaitlyn Tougas combined to jam in a loose puck following a goal-mouth scramble.
Shattuck would pull to within one with two minutes to go in the contest, but that's as close as they would get.
Amanda Makela had a solid game to pick up the win in net for the Queens.
The four-game set continues Saturday with two more before concluding Sunday with the finale.
March 26 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens are heading to Faribault, Minn., this weekend for a four-game exhibition series against teams from the Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres prep school program.
Action gets underway Friday with a match-up against the powerful Shattuck U-16 side at the SSM Ice Arena.
Two games are in store Saturday when Thunder Bay takes on the SSM U-16's once again and will also square off against the Sabres under-19 team as well.
The Queens trip will conclude Sunday morning with a third encounter with the Shattuck U-16 squad.
Feb. 15 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop midget AA Queens have returned home from the Westman Wildcats Winter Classic in Manitoba going unbeaten posting a 3-0-1 record along the way.
After defeating the defending national champion Wildcats 5-3 in their opener they went on to pick up a win and a draw on Saturday skating to a 4-4 tie with the Eastman Selects and followed that up with a 7-4 victory over the Assiboine Park Rangers.
After the Selects opened the scoring Michela Cava tallied twice while solo markers went to Jana Henry and Brittany Zuback to put the Queens up 4-1 heading into the third period only to see Eastman strike three times in the final frame to tie it including the equalizer ith just 15 seconds left in the game.
Taking on Assiniboine Park Thunder Bay got two goals apiece from Cava and Kaitlyn Tougas while Zuback, Kylie Cornell and Kaitlyn Quarell supplied singles in the win.
In their finale played on Sunday the Queens finished the event in fine style disposing of the Melville Prairie Fire by a 6-2 count.
Henry paced the Thunder Bay attack with a pair of goals. Also chipping in offensively were Cava, Zuback, Kaitlyn Tougas and Courtney Tougas.
Megan Leikkari was solid in net in each of the four games the squad played.
The Queens will now begin gearing up for the Ontario championship in April as they hope to win there and advance to the Esso Cup women's nationals later that month.
Feb. 12 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens got off to a strong start at the Westman Wildcats Winter Classic in Hartney, Man., defeating the host side 5-3 in the opener Friday.
The Queens jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two periods against the defending national champion Wildcats and would hold on in the third for the victory.
Jana Henry and Kaitlyn Tougas both tallied twice in the win while Riley Cronk notched the other marker.
Brittany Zuback also chipped in offensively with three assists while Elia Heroux, Amber Butler and Brianna Iazzolino also recorded helpers in a game that saw Megan Leikkari pick up the win in net.
The Queens resume play Saturday with two games as they take on the Eastman Selects in an afternoon affair and the Assiniboine Park Rangers in the evening.
Jan. 31 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens are bringing home the third place trophy from the Saskatoon Stars AAA female midget hockey tournament in Saskatchewan after doubling up the Prince Albert Bears 4-2 in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
The Queens rode the 38-save performance from Amanda Makela in the Thunder Bay net as she backstopped her side to the win.
After Prince Albert jumped out to a 1-0 lead following one period of play, Brittany Zuback would score deflecting an Alyssa Westerback point shot to knot the affair in the middle frame.
Three minutes later Zuback potted her second of the game scooping up a Kaitlyn Tougas pass and firing a shot off the post and in to give the Queens the lead.
The Bears would tie it late in the middle frame, but Thunder Bay responded in quick fashion as Michela Cava would thread the needle with a crisp pass that found the stick of Courtney Tougas who buried the eventual game-winner in the waning moments of the second stanza.
Cava would ice it the final minute of the match deking the Prince Albert goaltender and supplying some insurance with 58 seconds remaining.
Overall the Queens went unbeaten in the event finishing with a 3-0-1 record through the course of the event.
The next out of town action for the Sportop Queens will be the Westman Wildcats tourney Feb. 12-14 in Hartney, Man.
Jan. 30 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens let a three-goal lead get away Saturday and had to settle for a 3-3 with the Melville Prairie Fire at the Saskatoon Stars AAA female midget hockey tournament in Saskatchewan.
Thunder Bay jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period of play on a pair of goals by Michela Cava and a solo marker from Courtney Tougas, but could not hold the lead.
Melville got on the board early in the middle frame striking on the power play and then cut the margin to 3-2 notching one with the two sides playing four skaters aside with nine minutes left in the period.
The Queens could not capitalize on a number scoring chances early in the third and their opponents from Saskatchewan salvaged the tie scoring with 3:46 left to go putting one past netminder Megan Leikkari.
With the draw Thunder Bay finished round-robin play with a 2-0-1 record and will now have to settle for competing in the A-side Consolation title Sunday vs. the Prince Albert Bears who they defeated 2-1 in their second game of the tourney.
Jan. 29 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens are off to a great start at the Saskatoon Stars AAA female midget hockey tournament in Saskatchewan posting victories in their first two contests.
They opened with a 4-2 triumph over the Eastman Selects on Thursday and followed that up with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the highly-touted Prince Albert Bears.
In their opener the Queens fell behind 1-0 in the first period only to see a Courtney Tougas feed send Michela Cava in all alone on a breakaway where she made no mistake and evened the score.
Thunder Bay would take the lead minutes later as Cava sent Brittany Zuback in on a breakaway of her own to put her side up a goal.
The Selects would pull even before the frame was out with a shot that eluded Queens netminder Megan Leikkari.
Tougas potted the eventual game-winner in the second stanza finishing off a nice pass from affiliate player Alyssa Westerback and then buried her second of the night midway through the third period to add some insurance on assists from Cava and Haleigh Croves.
Tougas and Cava would finish with three points apiece while Leikkari picked up the win in goal.
In their second game of the tourney Thunder Bay and Prince Albert battled through a scoreless opening period before Savanna Gamache got the Queens on the board with four minutes remaining in the middle frame.
Late in the period the Queens would notch an important goal, striking shorthanded, as Zuback finished off the work of Kaitlyn Tougas to put them up a pair after two.
Prince Albert would make it interesting cutting the deficit to one with 4:52 remaining, but Amanda Makela shut the door from there stopping 30 shots overall to register the win for Thunder Bay.
The Queens wrap-up round-robin play Saturday when they face the Melville Prairie Fire at 11:30 a.m. MT.
Dec. 14 -- Michela Cava's goal 44 seconds into overtime was the winner as the Thunder Bay Sportop Queens edged the Minnesota Crunch 3-2 Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the midget AA division of the Thunder Bay Queens Showcase Weekend held at Fort William First Nation Arena.
Thunder Bay jumped out to a 1-0 first period lead on a goal by Riley Cronk only to see Rachel Hennessy tie it for Minnesota heading into the third.
An unassisted effort by Kaitylyn Quarrell put the Queens back on top, but Hennessy tied it again forcing extra time with her second of the contest.
That set the stage for the winner as the hosts took advantage of a late penalty call against Minnesota as Cava redirected a Kylie Cornell point shot in giving them the title. Megan Leikkari recorded the win in net.
The club opened the Showcase Weekend blanking the Assiniboine Park Rangers from Winnipeg by a score of 5-0.
Thunder Bay would take control early on with three goals just four minutes apart by Kaitlyn Tougas, Cava and Haleigh Croves, who connected on a power play tally.
Brittany Zuback would get into the act for the local side with the lone marker of the second period while Tougas converted on the power play for second of the game in the final frame concluded the scoring.
Cava would also chip in with a pair of assists as would Michaela Coulter.
Game of the weekend turned out to be a preview of the two teams who would play in the final as the Queens took on the Crunch Friday.
However the result was different in this one as Minnesota battled to a 2-0 shutout over the home side as the Crunch rode the solid shutout netminding of Brianna Schulz to blank the Queens.Carly Kuhbander beat Thunder Bay starter Amanda Makela at 3:58 of the first period with the only goal the visitors would need.
Both goaltenders would shut the door the rest of the way keeping the respective offences at bay before Erin Shamley iced it with an empty-netter in the game's final minute.
Game three saw Thunder Bay bounce back with a 4-0 shutout of the Sault Ste. Marie Wildcats.Cava and Kaitlyn Tougas had three points apiece to help lead the Sportop Queens past the Wildcats.
Cava tallied twice and set-up another while Tougas scored a goal and dished out two helpers.
Jana Henry notched the other marker for Thunder Bay.
In the club's final round robin contest the Queens punched their ticket to the final with a 5-2 triumph over the Pembina Trail Twins.
Courtney Tougas was the offensive sparkplug for the Queens striking twice and doling out a pair of assists.Henry, Quarrell and Kaitlyn Tougas also found the back of the net for the Sportop AA midgets.
Cass Falk and Kristine Goldhawk were the goal scorers for the Twins.
Nov. 29 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens returned home from the Minnesota Thoroughbreds tournament in St. Paul, Minn., with a solid 3-1 record.
In their final game in the 16-team event the Queens defeated Culver Academy from Indiana by a 5-2 margin.
Michela Cava and Brittany Zubback gave Thunder Bay an early two-goal lead before Culver pulled to within one late in the first period.
The Queens would tack on two more markers in the middle frame as Jana Henry and Zuback both found the back of the net before their opponents added their last tally of the game to make 4-2 after two periods.
Kaitlyn Quarrell notched the final goal for Thunder Bay in the third to go along with an earlier assist.
Kaitlyn Tougas dished out a pair of helpers to help the Queens cause offensively.
Amanda Makela turned aside 20 of 22 shots to pick up the win.
As mentioned, the Queens wrapped up the tournament with a solid 3-1 record in the high-calibre event with their only loss coming to the eventual tournament champions, The Pursuit of Excellence from Kelowna, B.C., who defeated the host Minnesota Thoroughbreds 3-2 in the title game.
Nov. 29 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens have improved their record to two wins and a loss at the Minnesota Thoroughbreds tournament in St. Paul, Minn.
Their third game saw Thunder Bay defeat the Grand Rapids Griffins 7-1 on Saturday evening.
Kaitlyn Tougas got the Queens on the board with 25 seconds left in the opening period as she converted on a pass from Brittany Zuback.
Ellia Heroux set-up Riley Cronk four minutes into the middle frame to put the Queens up a pair, with Grand Rapids getting their only goal five minutes later to make it 2-1.
Amber Butler restored the two-goal cushion late in the second as she knocked in a rebound off of a Michaela Coulter point shot.
Thunder Bay would put the game away in the third scoring four times with Savanna Gamache, Jana Henry, Michela Cava and Zuback notching the markers.
Megan Leikkari stopped nine of 10 shots to pick up the win.
The Queens will wrap-up tournament play Sunday when they take on Culver Academy from Indiana in a consolation contest Sunday morning.
Nov. 28 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens dropped their first game at the Minnesota Thoroughbreds tournament in St. Paul, Minn., losing 4-2 Saturday morning to the Pursuit of Excellence from Kelowna, B.C.
After falling behind early the Queens tied the game on a nice individual effort by Jana Henry.
Brittany Zuback put Thunder Bay on top less than a minute later on an assist by Michela Cava.
However POE bounced back before the first period was out on two quick goals of their own to take a 3-2 lead.
Following a scoreless second the B.C. squad added some insurance with five minutes remaining.
Amanda Makela suffered the loss in net for Thunder Bay making 39 saves.
The Queens managed 13 shots one net.
They now face the Grand Rapids Griffins Saturday evening at 8 p.m. CT in their final round robin game.
Nov. 27 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens are off to a good start at the 16-team Minnesota Thoroughbreds tournament in St. Paul, Minn.
Thunder Bay received shutout goaltending from Megan Leikkari as they blanked the Chicago Young Americans on Friday.
The Queens got all the offence they would need early on as Kaitlyn Tougas set-up Brittany Zuback for the eventual game-winner just 1:39 into the contest.
A minute later Courtney Tougas finished off a solo effort to increase the lead to 2-0.
Following a scoreless third period Kaitlyn Quarrell added some insurance in the final frame to round out the scoring. Michaela Coulter and Haleigh Croves drew assists on the play.
The Queens conclude round robin play Saturday when they take on the Pursuit of Excellence from Kelowna, B.C. at 9:10 a.m. the Grand Rapids Griffins from Michigan at 8 p.m.
Nov. 24 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Queens will be in search of a tournament hat-trick this weekend when the squad travel to St. Paul, Minn., to compete in the Minnesota Thoroughbreds event.
Having won their last two tournaments they have played, the Queens will face some stiff competition as 16 elite level clubs from six states and four provinces will battle it out over three days of action.Thunder Bay will kick off tournament play Friday when they tangle with the Chicago Young Americans at 7 p.m. CT.
Two more contests the following day see Thunder Bay tangle with the Pursuit of Excellence Academy from British Columbia at 9:10 a.m. and the Grand Rapids Griffins from Michigan at 8 p.m.
Medal round action goes Sunday.
Nov. 1 -- Kaitlyn Tougas scored the game-winner and Amanda Makela's save on a penalty shot in the final minute of the game lifted the Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens to a dramatic 2-1 win over the host Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres under-16 side in the championship game of the SSM Invitational tournament Sunday in Faribault, Minn.
The powerful Shattuck side that featured the daughter of National Hockey League legend Mario Lemieux in its line-up got on the board early in the first as Blayre Turnbull beat Makela.
The Queens would bounce back quickly however as Brittany Zuback roared down the left side and fired one past the Sabres netminder for the equalizer.
Tougas would then pot the eventual game-winner with six minutes remaining in the opening frame.
Following a scoreless second and third period and Shattuck pressing for the tying goal they had a golden opportunity to force overtime after being awarded the penalty shot with 33 seconds left in regulation after the Queens had been hit with a delay of game call.
Makela would not be deterred stopping the penalty shot attempt snapping handing the Queens their second tournament title in as many tries for the team.
Thunder Bay also skated to the championship crown in their last tourmanent as they captured the Minnesota Crunch Showcase Oct. 12 in Grand Rapids, Minn.
Oct. 31 -- A pair of wins Saturday has helped the Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens advance to the final of the Shattuck-St. Mary's Invitational tournament at the SSM Ice Arena in Faribault, Minn.
The Queens defeated the Minnesota Crunch 2-0 and the Madison Capitols 6-2 to earn a berth in the title game Sunday against the powerful host Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres under-16 side.
In the opener Saturday the Queens and Crunch played a tight-checking, scoreless opening period before Brittany Zuback notched the eventual game-winner five minutes into the middle stanza on assists by Michela Cava and Taylor Savard.
Four minutes later the Queens Ellia Heroux and Brianna Iazzolino combined to set-up Riley Cronk for an all important insurance marker.
Thunder Bay netminder Amanda Makela stood tall the rest of the game turning aside all 19 shots she faced for the shutout win.
In game two of the day the Queens opened seven minutes into the contest against Madison as Kaitlyn Tougas finished off a nice three-way passing with Cava and Zuback.
Thunder Bay would tack on four more goals to go up 5-0 including two more by Tougas to complete her hat-trick as well as singles by Cava and Cronk.
The Capitols would make it interesting firing two quick goals on Meghan Leikkari before Cava iced it forwith the final tally of the night.
Leikkari stopped 15 of 17 shots she faced to earn the win setting the stage for the Queens-Shattuck final on Sunday.
Oct. 30 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens opened the Shattuck-St. Mary's Invitational tournament on a winning note Friday skating to a 5-3 victory over the Green Bay Bobcats at the SSM Ice Arena in Faribault, Minn.
After falling behind 1-0 early in the contest the Queens bounced backly quickly as Brittany Zuback would set-up Kaitlyn Tougas for the qualizer.
Green Bay would go on to take their final lead of night going on top 2-1 after the first period.
Thunder Bay would bounce back in the middle frame on markers by Michela Cava and Tougas.
Zuback's fourth point of the game came early in the third period as potted the eventual game-winner to make it 4-2.
The Bobcats pulled to within one with 11 minutes remaining, but Courtney Tougas replied a minute later to close out the scoring.
Meghan Leikkari made 26 saves to pick-up the win for Thunder Bay who fired 29 shots on the Green Bay net.
Zuback finished with a goal and three assists while Kaitlyn Tougas added an assist to go along with her two markers and Savanna Gamache chipped in with three helpers.
Next up in the tourney for the Queens will be another meeting with the Minnesota Crunch. This contest, which gets underway at 12 p.m. CT, will mark the sixth meeting of the season between the two sides.
So far the club have gone a productive 5-0-1 vs. the Crunch.
The Queens will also wrap-up round-robin play in the tourney Saturday evening at 7 p.m. against the Madison Capitols.
Sunday will see the tournament conclude with the medal round games.
Oct. 29 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens are on the tournament trail once again as the club travels to Faribault, Minn., this weekend to compete in the Shattuck-St. Mary's Invitational.
The club opens play Friday when they take on the Green Bay Bobcats in an 8 p.m. CT start at the SSM Ice Arena.
A pair of games are on the slate Saturday when they meet the Minnesota Crunch at 12 p.m. and wrap up the day vs. the Madison Capitols at 7 p.m.
The Queens opponent on Sunday will depend on where they finish in round-robin play.
Thunder Bay enters the tourney fresh off capturing the Minnesota Crunch Showcase earlier this month in Grand Rapids, Minn.
Oct. 12 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens have returned home as champions of the inaugural Minnesota Crunch Showcase event in Grand Rapids, Minn., posting a perfect 4-0 record.
They opened with an impressive 6-2 win over the defending Canadian national midget AA champion Westman Wildcats of Winnipeg.
After Savanna Gamache and Michela Cava combined to set-up Kaitlyn Quarrell to give Thunder Bay an early lead the Wildcats scored two quick goals to give them a 2-1 cushion heading to the intermission.
If was all Queens after that however as they struck for five unanswered goals en route to victory.
Brittany Zuback with two, Jana Henry, Riley Cronk, and Cava had those markers while Amanda Makela picked up the win in net.Next up saw the Queens continue their winning ways rolling to a 9-0 triumph over a club from Traverse City, Mich.
Cava, Zuback and Quarrell all tallied twice to while Courtney Tougas had a tremndous game dishing out five assists to pace the club offensivley. Meghan Leikkari stopped 13 shots to preserve the shutout.Then in a battle with the hometown Crunch to see who would advance to the final it was the Queens who would come out on top as they skated to a 3-1 win.
Zuback would finish off the work of Henry and Kaitlyn Tougas to put the team up a goal in the opening period.
The Queens tacked on two more goals in the middle frame on markers by Henry and Zuback's second of the contest.
In the third period the Crunch spoiled Makela's shutout bid with a late power play goal, but that's as close as they would get as Thunder Bay moved on to the championship game vs. Sault Ste. Marie.
A quick start would send the Queens on their way as they jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead by Courtney Tougas, Haleigh Croves and Gamache.
The Wildcats would respond with two of their own in the second stanza to make it interesting, but Gamache's second of the game four minutes into the third gave Thunder Bay some added insurance.
Netminder Leikkari held the fort the rest of the way as the Queens skated off as champions.
Next up for the Sportop Queens will be the Shattuck-St. Mary's invitational tournament at the end of the month in Faribault, Minn.
Sept. 28 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens fell 3-2 Sunday to a highly skilled Minnesota Midwest Elite U-19 team in the consolation final of the St. Cloud State University Showcase in St. Cloud, Minn.
The Queens gave up a pair of early goals and could not recover being outshot heavily by the Elite in the contest, despite the stellar netminding of Amanda Makela to keep her side in it.
Thunder Bay would pull to within one the middle stanza as Haleigh Croves and Brittany Zubback combined to set-up Michela Cava for the Queens opening tally.
The Elite would restore their two-goal cushion in the third going up by a pair again.
Zuback made it 3-2 later in the final frame redirecting Michaela Coulter point shot. Jana Henry recorded the second assist on the play.
The Queens had a number of late chances to equalize, but could not solve the Elite goaltender.
Next up for the Sportop Queens will be the Grand Rapids Showcase Oct. 9-11 in the Northern Minnesota town.
Sept. 26 -- The Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens went 1-1 in opening day action at the St. Cloud University Fall Classic, in St. Cloud, Minn.
They began with a 5-3 loss to a powerful Shattuck-St. Marys Sabres under-19 squad before bouncing back for a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Crunch from Grand Rapids, Minn.
Ellia Heroux, Michela Cava and Brittany Zuback tallied for Thunder Bay in the Shattuck set-back while Amanda Makela was solid in goal despite the loss.
In the loss the Queens rallied from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits, but two SSM power play goals sealed the win.
Game two of the day saw Queens rally from an early 1-0 deficit in their triumph over the Crunch.
Brianna Iazzolino and Kylie Cornell both scored once and added an assist apiece to pace the club offensively while single markers went to Zuback, Amber Butler, Kaitlyn Quarrell and Jana Henry.
Meghan Leikkari stood tall in net to preserve the win.
The Queens now get set to face the Minnesota Midwest Elite U-19 side in the consolation final on Sunday morning.
Sept. 14 -- It was a successful start to the season for the Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens over the weekend as they went undefeated in a three-game exhibition set against the Minnesota Crunch in Grand Rapids, Minn.
In the series opener Friday Amanda Makela made 28 stops leading the club to a 6-4 victory.
Game two, contested Saturday, saw Megan Leikkari turn aside every shot she faced in posting a 2-0 shutout in her Midget AA debut.
The Queens then concluded the road trip Sunday battling the Crunch to a 3-3 draw.
A trio of Thunder Bay players paced the team offensively in the three games as Michela Cava (3g-2a), Kaitlyn Tougas (2g-3) and Brittany Zuback (1g-4a) all supplied 5-point weekends. Jana Henry (2g-2a) and Courtney Tougas (2g-1a) also chipped in with four and three points respectively.
Next up for the Sportop Queens is a return trip to Minnesota in two weeks as they take part in the St. Cloud State University Showcase event Sept. 25-27 in St. Cloud, Minn.
