Friday, January 22, 2010

Reversal of fortune

Winning weekend in Wasatch for Lady Suns


Last season the Sun Valley girls' hockey team went 0-4 in the Martin Luther King Jr. tournament in Utah. This year's contest was a complete 180.

The U-19 Suns compiled a 4-0 record in pool play, defeating two teams from Colorado, Montana and Idaho Falls sides to qualify for the championship game against a familiar nemesis, the Boise Steelheads.

The two teams skated a scoreless five-minute overtime before going to penalty shots. Boise prevailed 2-1 on shots.

"Some parents said it was the best game they had ever seen the girls play," Suns' team manager John Sensenbrenner said.

Opening on Saturday against a strong team from Littleton, the Suns got used to the Olympic-size rink, skating to a 2-0 shutout. Later in the day, Sun Valley faced a select sextet from Montana, coming out on top 4-1. On Sunday morning, the local girls squared off against Idaho Falls in a rematch of last year's Idaho state championship. The Suns broke open a scoreless tie with two goals in the second period en route to a 4-0 shutout.

Fort Collins, Colo., and Sun Valley dueled in the final round of pool play. Holding a slim 2-1 lead heading into the third, goalie Emma Wilander made a great poke check on a Fort Collins breakaway and the Suns rallied from there to win 4-1.

With 61 saves on 63 shots, Wilander, a junior, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. But coach Dave Hennessy had high praise for the whole defensive unit.

"Overall, the defensive group of Emma, Nellie Brown, Tanner Dredge, Kelly Hennessy and Erin Hennessy played outstanding, allowing only three goals in five games against strong competition. On the offensive side of the ice, the girls played an aggressive forechecking game, making it difficult for their opponents to get the puck out of their zone."

Aimee Evans led the team with 5 goals and 2 assists; Ashley Hesteness 6/0; Tanner Dredge 1/4; Daniela Stokes 0/2; Frannie Sensenbrenner 1/0; Georgy Goodwin 1/0; and Morgan Pintler 1/0. As well, Dylan Peterson and Ellie Swanson contributed to a strong team effort.




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