Lady Titans win Saint John Christmas tourney

The TRHS lady Titans brought home a championship banner from the 42nd annual Saint John Christmas Hockey Tournament held Dec. 27-29.

The Titans defeated Simonds High School of Saint John 3-2 in an exciting final game in the Jeannine Howe division.

The Titans struck early in the championship match, finishing the first period with a 3-1 lead thanks to the two-goal performance of Emily Stubbert along with an opening single by Jenna Wry.

It looked like that score might hold up until the end of the game after a scoreless second period. However, Jillisa Brown of Simonds scored with less than three minutes left to narrow the gap to one goal. Brown's goal made for a wild ending as Simonds pulled their goalie in the last 90 seconds of play in a desperate effort to send the game into overtime. Karly Estabrooks was in net for the Titans' victory.

Sackville's lady Titans went undefeated in the tournament finishing with five wins and a tie.

They opened the tournament with a 5-0 win against Bernice MacNaughton. Brooke Hilchie scored twice for the Titans in that game and Morgan Morrissey earned the shutout.

Later that day, the Titans pummeled hometown Saint John High 8-0 on the strength of nine power play opportunities that resulted in four goals. Breanne Lee and Hilchie both notched a pair of goals with Estabrooks between the pipes for the win.

On day two of the tournament, the Titan girls romped over Simonds High in another preliminary round game by a 7-3 score. Lee, Stubbert and Hilchie all bagged two goals with Katie Randall adding a single.

With a 3-0 record, the team then faced the first-place team in the Sandra Howe division, the KVHS Crusaders. The battle of the first-place teams ended in a fast-paced 1-1 tie. Nika Shaw scored the lone goal for the Titans with assists from Rebekah Wheaton and Stubbert.

The semi-final game pitted Saint John High against the Titans. The game was over early as the Lady Titans came out quickly, perhaps playing their best hockey this season. The Titans scored seven times in the first period, including Beth Galloway's first career goal. They cruised to an easy 9-0 victory and a place in the finals against Simonds High.

Hilchie and Stubbert were the leading scorers in the tournament for Tantramar each scoring eight goals and finishing with 12 points each. Grade 9 rookie Kristin Lowerison lead the team in assists, contributing five from her position on defense. Morrissey had two shutouts during the weekend while Estabrooks added another. Both goalies ended the tournament with a 0.50 goals against average.

The lady Titans will be back in action on Jan. 8 at the Jean-Louis Levesque arena in Moncton against the undefeated L'Odyssey Olympiennes. Hockey fans can catch the next Titans home game on Saturday, Jan. 9 at the local civic centre starting at 9:15 p.m.