EXETER – The South Huron District High School girls hockey team will compete for an OFSAA championship next week after earning silver medals in the WOSSAA qualifying tournament, held March 9 in Exeter.
South Huron was assured a spot at OFSAA after making the WOSSAA gold medal game, which they lost 4-1 to Wingham's F.E. Madill Secondary School.
As this year's OFSAA host, Madill had an automatic bid in the tournament, opening the door for another top finisher at WOSSAA to compete for a provincial title.
South Huron earned the extra spot with a 2-0 win over Holy Cross in their WOSSAA semi-final, and at times played without urgency in the gold medal game.
Madill opened the scoring late in the first period and added three goals in the second, leading 4-0 going into the final frame.
South Huron player Lynn Weber scored the game's lone remaining goal with 1:19 left in the third.
South Huron assistant coach Robert Krainz said his team played extremely well against Holy Cross and came out strong in the first period against Madill.
"In the second period they started hanging back a little bit and letting Madill take the advantage of them," Krainz said.
He added the team did attach significance to the possibility of winning WOSSAA, despite the fact a victory wasn't necessary for an OFSAA bid.
"We wanted to be the WOSSAA champs – to come out of it that way, and the girls wanted to get that on their jackets," Krainz said.
He added that the team got down on itself after Madill scored its first goal, but rallied later in the game.
"I think they should do well (at OFSAA) if they keep their minds in the game," Krainz said. "We've got a real deep team this year."
South Huron will play without the on-ice services of Carly Mercer, a star forward who is ineligible to finish the high school hockey season after being selected to the national U-18 women's team.
"Definitely (the team is) missing her, but we have a lot of strong players on our team," Krainz said. "We've got three good, strong lineups out there and I think they're rallying together pretty good without (Mercer).
Krainz noted Mercer has been rooting the team on from the bench, something he said has helped.
"That helps out too – that she's not totally out of it, that she's on the bench giving them her ideas and rooting them on," he said.
The OFSAA 'A/AA' girls hockey tournament is set for March 22-25 in Wingham.