The Highlanders girls hockey team opened the season on home ice hosting the inaugural Highlanders Hockey Cup. The weekend was full of excitement and emotions. Rothesay Netherwood School (RNS), Mount Academy, and College Bourget attended the tournament to face-off for the first banner of the season.
The Highlanders started strong with a 5-3 win over RNS in front of a massive cheering crowd. The girls then moved up to 2-0 on the season, after a commanding 7-0 win over the Mount Academy Saints. With this win the Highlanders secured a path to the finals. Game three saw the Highlanders face-off against a very talented and older team from College Bourget. After falling behind 5-0 in the first 22 minutes, the Highlanders brought the game back to 5-2 and played a great second half of the game but could not beat a strong Bourget goaltender.
Sunday’s final matchup was set – KES Highlanders (2-1-0) vs. College Bourget Voltigeurs (Volts) (3-0-0). The Volts jumped to a 1-0 lead late in the first period. The Highlanders answered with an equalizer midway through the second. Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities, and the Highlanders were turned away on the goal line on back-to-back shifts late in the period. The Volts then broke the tie with a bouncing puck off the rush, and a goal off the half wall 30 seconds later pushed the lead to 3-1. The Highlanders controlled the play in the third but could not break through the Volts’ very strong defence. The game finished with a score of 4-1.
It was a great start to the season for the Highlanders. The girls are back in action at RNS’s opening tournament from October 4-6.