Ringing in the win on ice

By Sean Nyilassy

The University of Calgary ringette club skated their way to victory at the seventh annual University Challenge Cup Jan. 2-4. Seven teams from across Canada travelled to Landmark, Manitoba for the epic event that was full of twists and turns.


For the average Joe who knows nothing of the sport of ringette, players describe it as a skilful, fun, interesting, fast-paced sport gaining popularity; not a girly version of hockey.


Having won the tournament in 2004, our ladies came out hungry for goals–and they had a mighty feast. They handily defeated most of the competition during the round robin, shutting out the University of Manitoba “B” team 6-0 and the University of Ottawa 5-0.


The Collège Universitaire de Saint-Boniface team didn’t put up much of a fight either, going down 8-2. The U of C also took down Laurentian University 5-1 and the U of M “A” team 4-2. The only bump on the path to stardom was a game against the University of Alberta, a match that our ladies lost 3-4.


“The U of A was our only real competition out there,” Dino Lisa Gaumont modestly stated.


The loss marked the U of C’s first loss to the U of A ringette squad. A benchmark that was difficult to stomach for our ladies.


“Losing to the U of A was disheartening,” team member Chelsea Tarnow admitted. “It made us wanna kick their ass even more.”


“It was frustrating,” Danielle Pettem agreed, “but it gave us what we needed to beat them.”


Their record of 5-1-0 was good enough to give our ladies second seed for the championship round. They met the top-ranked U of A team who went 5-0-1 in the round robin. Despite the best efforts U of A could muster, Calgary was up 2-1 and looking for another goal. After missing a wide open shot, Gaumont found her game face, put it on and put one in the opposition’s net. Calgary came out on top with the score remaining at 3-1.


“We worked better as a team and kept penalties down,” Tarnow explained.


Pettem perhaps summed up the win the best.


“It was very sweet.”


The tournament win marks a great start to the New Year for the ringette club. To find out more about this elusive sport, check out www.ringette.ca.