Thunder Bay Queens Hockey Organization

The Thunder Bay U18AA Sportop Queens opened game action Sunday morning, with the quest to be claimed Stoney Creek Showcase Champions, against the reigning National Champion Durham West Lightning.

Durham opened the scoring at the 9:48 mark of the first period on the power play. The Queens would press for the equalizer throughout the period with a number of quality scoring chances but couldn’t beat the Durham goaltender. Shots favoured the Queens 11-10.

The second period would remain scoreless. At 13:24 of the 3rd period, Durham would once again capitalize on the power play and take a 2-0 lead. They would add an insurance marker on the power play with under 6 minutes to play to make the final 3-0.

Abby Wills was solid in net stopping 22 of 25 shots she faced. The loss brings the Queens weekend to an end. They finished with a record of 3-1-1 while only giving up 3 goals in their 5 games. “The goaltending, team defense, and overall effort was stellar all weekend, said Head Coach Dave Olenik. The season looks promising if we can continue to play at this caliber consistently.”

Next up for the Queens is the Minnesota Elite League next weekend where they will face off against the best teams from Minnesota and Wisconsin.