TWILLINGATE -
In an unbelievable comeback, the female Combines of Twillingate-New World Island overcame a 4-2 deficit to the Springdale Braves in the Provincial "E" Under 20 Female championship game at Twillingate on April 5 to tie at 4-4 and go on to take the game 5-4 in overtime.
The provincial tournament played at the George Hawkins Memorial Arena saw five teams involved including teams from Botwood, Churchill Falls, Gros Morne, as well as the Braves and Combines. Round-robin play had the Springdale Braves going undefeated having won over the Combines 6-2 on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning following a 2-0 loss against the Braves, the Gros Morne Mountaineers were awarded the Bronze for a 2-2 win-loss record. The only loss for the Combines was against the Braves.
On Sunday afternoon, the Combines took on the Braves in a match up that had Natasha Rideout from Sarah Burton and Demi Pelley score the first goal for Springdale at 13.22 of the first period. In less than a minute April Anstey of the Combines on a pass from Emily King tied the game at 1-1 to end the period.
The second period saw the Braves break the tie early at the two-minute mark with a goal from Hannah Melindy, assisted by Pelley. It wasn't until the 10:44 mark of that period that the Combines tied the score again at 2-2 on an effort by King from Jayna Clarke. However, the period ended 3-2 for Springdale with a late marker at 12:26, unassisted, from Rideout.
Again, early in the third the Braves scored to increase their lead to 4-2 on a goal by Pelley with help from Holly Goudie. For many of the fans it seemed that the round-robin win for the Braves may have been prophetic - but coach Cecil Stockley was not to be outdone. Coaching in what he realized was to be his last game of an 11-year career with the female team, he engineered a comeback that had fans enthusiastically supporting their team. At 6:39, Cecily Stockley notched her first of two goals with assists from Clarke and Shelby White. The score was now 4-3. As if sensing that a victory was in the works, the Combines kept up their assault and at 13:42 tied the score yet again at 4-4 on an unassisted goal from Clarke.
The sudden-death overtime period had the Combines in almost complete domination that culminated at the 5:40 mark with a goal from Stockley on assists from King and Anstey. The Combines were presented with the banner and gold medals following the distribution of silver medals to the Springdale Braves.
The Pilot
