Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Canadian teams
take Ski Town prize

Sunsets come close, settle for third

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By MICHAEL AMES
Express Staff Writer

The eighth annual Ski Town Classic hosted over a dozen women’s hockey teams from the western U.S. and Canada in Sun Valley this past weekend.

The two teams from north of the border faced off in the "A Flight" championship match with the Red Mountain Rippers nabbing the title over Express 24 by a score of 2-1 Sunday.

Casey Mills of Sun Valley Fury (right) gets tough around the net last weekend. Express photo by Willy Cook

The local Sunsets and Fury squads faired well with the "A Flight" Sunsets (2-0-2) taking third place and the "B Flight" Fury (2-2) placing second in their respective divisions.

A Herculean effort by goalie Joanie Fox propelled her Fury team to the runner-up position. Her 50 saves in the 3-0 championship match loss to Redwood Lady Polars kept it close.

"She was all over the place," said teammate Casey Mills. "Like Dominik Hasek."

The Redwood Lady Polars shelled Fox, tallying 53 shots in total. But the net minder kept her cool and the Fury alive.

"Joanie was unbelievable and kept it close," says Mills, the team’s leading playmaker with 1 goal and 3 assists. Bege Reynolds was equally ferocious, tying Mills for scoring leader with 2 goals/2 assists.

The Sunsets captured their bronze medal 3-2 over Jackson Hole’s A team. With the score tied 2-2 going into the final period—Wendy Speth scoring both Sunsets goals—Kris Miller (2/3) put the decider in the net.

Lucy Chubb of the Sun Valley Sunsets, on the hunt. Express photo by Willy Cook

Wendy Speth (6 goals, 2 assists) and Lucy Chubb (4/3) led the Sunsets’ scoring for the weekend. The Sunsets tied finalists Express 24 1-1 and Red Mountain 3-3, and beat the Montana Powder Hounds 7-2 with Speth scoring a hat trick.

Sunsets goalie Karen Morrison was strong in goal with a .91 goals against average.

Meanwhile, the Fury’s Fox finished the tourney with an exceptional .93 goals-against mark. Fox’s weekend included a 2-0 shutout over the Jackson Hole B team called Venom. Jini Griffith scored both goals.

The Fury II team was quickly assembled for the Ski Town classic and though they did not win a game nor score a goal, all involved had a memorable experience and introduction to women’s competitive hockey. Some Fury II players had never skated prior to their games. Others had never played competitively.

They made up for it in spirit.

"As a new comer and the youngest player in the entire women’s league, I was just amazed at the camaraderie," said the Fury’s Mills. "The chemistry is just really great. Everyone is supportive—from the most experienced players on the Sunsets to the less experienced on Fury II. It was the best of local sports."

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Sunday’s final games:

"A Flight": Championship—Red Mountain Rippers 2-1 over Express 24 Lady Blues (MVPs Sarah Calabria of Red Mt., Kim Ogilvie of Express 24). Consolation—SV Sunsets 3-2 over Jackson Hole A.

"B Flight": Championship—Redwood City Lady Polars 3-0 over SV Fury. Consolation—Boise Hericanes 2-0 over Jackson Hole Venom.

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Here is the scoring wrap-up for the Ski Town Classic:

Sunsets: Wendy Speth 6/2, Lucy Chubb 4/3, Kris Miller 2/3, Nicole Perkins 1/2, Julie Bell 0/2, Liza Weekes 0/2, Michele Hampton 0/1, Christine Gould 1/0, Edith Iler 0/1, Jen Embree 0/1.

Fury: Bege Reynolds 2/2, Casey Mills 1/3, Cinda Lewis 3/0, Jini Griffith 2/1, Merri Whitehead 0/2, Nancy Brown 0/1, Dotty Hand 1/0, Jen Douglas 1/0, Mia Edsall 0/1.

Fury II: Team members Lolly Greeninger, Sara Shafer, Susanne Connor, Dana Price, Heidi Jorgensen, Janet Salvoni, Kathy Histon, Kimberly Sesnon, Laura Blash, Linda McMahon, Sara Gorham, Jenni Conrad, Carole Punnett, Heidi Ottley.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.