Northshore Stars Girls Hockey Team Wins Provincial GOLD!

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Northshore Stars Girls Hockey Team Wins Provincial GOLD!

Written by Chris Hewson on 13 April 2011

SCHREIBER, ON – The Northshore Stars Girls’ Bantam B Hockey Team, including 13 and 14 year olds from Dubreuilville, Pic River, Marathon, Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Nipigon, Geraldton and Longlac, has returned home this week from Mississauga, Ontario where they faced off, against 17 other teams, to bring home bragging rights as the Ontario Womens’ Hockey Association Bantam B Girls Champions having won their 3^rd consecutive at the provincial level!

Schreiber’s Northshore Stars girls’ hockey program was started 3 years ago by Schreiber residents, Mike and Brenda Strausberger whose daughter has since moved on to play with the Queen’s Double A Program in Thunder Bay who also won a gold medal this weekend, in Toronto.

With 8 Northshore communities represented among them, the Northshore Stars 2010-11 Bantam Girls’ attended the provincial championships, as un-challenged representatives of Northern Ontario while the teams they played against had spent the entire season training together (many of the southern teams likely having played together since IP level), playing 60 to 70 game schedules before competing in regional league play-offs to qualify for the provincials.

This should have put the Northern Ontario team at a disadvantage; as its players skated the season primarily with their own community teams, travelling to Schreiber to play together as the Northshore Stars Bantam B Girls’ team only once or twice a month (though they did play 4 major tournaments in Northern Ontario during 2010/11). Coach Figliomeni had significantly increased the frequency of their practices in the short month prior to Provincials and had seen the team raise the bar “The lack of playing together alot certainly does play a factor” admitted Figliomeni before explaining how they compensate, “There’s so much talent in each of our Northshore communities that it makes up for any lack of ice time together”. Figliomeni, clearly very proud of the team, struggled somewhat to put into words, his respect and appreciation for the skill and unity of his players and their support systems “This was a really incredible group of girls, with an incredible group of parents. [The girls] really gelled, they really came together”.

Coach, Mark Figliomeni, shared highlights of the 5 day provincial play-offs in an interview with OntarioNewsNorth.com Editor, Karina Hunter, obviously eager for an opportunity to spread news of the girls’ success to each of their communities. Watch the video-interview above for more details; learn why players on the Schreiber-Northshore bench knocked out one of Figliomeni’s front teeth; about how on two separate occasions they scored goals in the last 45 seconds of games to win; and how the town of Schreiber has so rallied behind this team that one local senior travelled to cheer them on in Mississauga.

Looking forward to the future with the Schreiber based Northshore Stars, their coach, Mark Figliomeni had this to say “[As the girls get older] it’s a great way to keep them busy and active. If you were there on the weekend, it was unexplainable the bond that these girls had. […] It was simply something that the kids, and us the parents, will remember for the rest of our lives.”

Northshore Stars Fast Facts

The Schreiber-Northshore Stars Girls Bantam B Team are the 2011 Ontario Women’s Hockey Association Bantam B Girls’ Provincial Champions
5 of the girls on the 2010-11 team have been with the Schreiber-Northshore Stars Bantam B Girls since it’s began 3 years ago; playing a significant role in each of it’s provincial gold medal wins.
5 of the girls on the 2010-11 team have been with the Schreiber-Northshore Stars Bantam B Girls for 2 years, now having 2 provincial gold medals under their blades.
For 5 of this year’s girls it was their first time winning provincial gold.
There are 3 girls from Dubreuilville, 1 girl from Pic River First Nation, 1 girl from Marathon,1 from Terrace Bay, 5 or 6 girls from Schreiber, 1girl from Nipigon, 3 girls from Geraldton and finally 1 girl from Longlac.
The Northshore Stars began in the Pee Wee C division of the Ontario Womens’ Hockey Association, winning gold their first year; they then competed in the Pee Wee B Division (winning Gold again!) and now as Bantam B’s in the 2010-11 Season they brought home a 3^rd gold to the Northshore.