Fire Storm Cyclones

The quiet before the storm

It was an evenly paced first period, the quiet before the storm. Calgary Girls Hockey (GHC) Bantam AA Fire White were hosting Lethbridge Cyclones at Henry Viney Arena in the season opener of the Alberta Female Hockey League. Things started to warm up in the last five minutes as Fire White went short-handed. Ella Kitchen won a face-off inside the Cyclones zone and took a quick wrist shot, saved by Kinlee Fahselt. With six seconds to go, she was almost beat, save the crossbar, as the puck sounded off from a slap-shot taken out from the left hash marks by Gracie Gilkyson.

Cyclones hit

Immediately from the start of the second period, the Cyclones were hit with speedy attacks from Fire White. The first goal came within three minutes, a straight left shot from Mia Bierd that went through some defensive traffic and into the net.

After ten minutes it was 2-0 when Hannah Suto sent in a speculative shot from the left wing. Three minutes later, Ryann Perrett put herself in the right place in front of the net to pick up a rebound from a shot by Chyenne Risling, pushing the puck past the goalie’s right skate. Caolan Marks scored her first goal with three minutes to go, unassisted with a hard shot blasted in from the left wing.

Fire White defense hold tight

Lethbridge had the chance to get on the score sheet with a power play after seven minutes of the third period but the Fire White defense held tight. Marks got her second goal after 14 minutes of play and made it a hat-trick with another blaster from the blue line that surprised the Cyclones goalie. Bierd got her second goal from a scramble in front of the net that saw the puck slip through the goalie’s pads.

Final score: Fire White 7-0 Lethbridge Cyclones.

Up next: GHC Bantam AA Fire White vs Olds Grizzlys. For more photos from the game please visit J. Ashley Nixon Photography