There are few surprises when rival hockey teams have played each other more than a half dozen times in a season.
That was one challenge for the Anaheim Lady Ducks on Feb. 23, when they faced the San Jose Jr. Sharks for the Pacific District 19U AAA championship in suburban Las Vegas and a berth at the USA Hockey Nationals in early April.
The LDs added a few twists and emerged with a 3-1 victory over their Bay Area rivals. Elizabeth Sharp scored what proved to be the winning goal – her fifth goal of the tournament – midway through the second period, and Emily Olsthoorn netted her team-high sixth in the final minute to seal the outcome. It marked the 19th consecutive season the LDs have qualified a Tier I team for Nationals but it is the first time since 2021 a 19U will make the trip.
“The 19s played against San Jose and San Diego (the other district participant) all season long, so we had to navigate different ways to beat them,” LDs coach Lilli Marchant said. “We reached the final on point differential because we beat San Jose both times but lost to San Diego, once in a shootout.
“We struggled against San Jose all year, and they brought the fire against us this weekend. It’s always a good game, which is good to see for both programs. We came into (the final) with a plan, and all of our goal scorers showed up.”
Sophia Ripley got the Lady Ducks on the board late in the first period. She, Sharp and Olsthoorn combined for 14 goals on the weekend. The LDs scored 18 goals in five games and fired 36 shots on goal in the final.
The LDs also got stellar goaltending from Anna Manning, affectionately known to her teammates as Lenny. Manning made 27 saves in the final and only allowed eight goals on 129 shots against for a save percentage of .938.
“Lenny was outstanding and really showed up to play this weekend,” Marchant said. “She played to her strengths, held us in games and made some unreal saves. Most importantly, she kept a level head. Our group of players surrounded Lenny in every situation, were supportive and did their jobs.”
The LDs defeated the Jr. Sharks 4-1 and 5-2 in round-robin play and had a one-goal and shootout loss to San Diego. For this group to break through with a Nationals berth is special enough, but for Marchant, there was an added sense of appreciation.
“The 19 group is a special one,” she said. “I’ve coached many of them for the past four years. I started with the ’07s at 14U when I was an assistant four years ago. It’s special for me to see how much they’ve grown as humans and as players.”
That’s partially evidenced by the fact that five the of the team’s players already have made college commitments, including Sara Field to Division I Assumption, and more are expected this spring. Another quartet have made D-III commits – Olsthoorn (Colby), Charlotte Crudale (Nazareth), Talia Stein Trujillo (Suffolk) and Kylie Atzert (Arcadia). Crudale had a team-high six assists and Trujillo added four points over the weekend.
Before Nationals on April 1-6 in Marlborough, Mass., the 19U’s will head back to Las Vegas for the Pacific Girls Hockey League finals in early March. They’ll have plenty of company as the club’s 14U and 16U AAA teams and 14U and 19U AA teams will join them there.
“We’ll see the same teams,” Marchant said with a chuckle. “It’s good competition for all of our teams, especially the 19’s as they prepare for Nationals. We’re looking to build off this weekend – find even more ways to score, put ourselves in smart defensive situations. What can we do to improve heading into Nationals?”