Game On Magazine 2017 February 2017 | Page 123

Bell Leads Canada at Women ’ s U-18 Worlds
The United States beat Canada 3-1 in the final of the World Women ’ s U-18 Hockey championship in Zlin , Czech Republic , but two Manitobans -- Ashton Bell , the rodeo champion from Deloraine , and Corinne Schroeder , the goalie from Balmoral Hall , played well for Canada during the tournament . Bell , who stars with the Westman Wildcats of the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League , and Schroeder who teams with her sister Megan at BH , were named to a roster that also included assistant coach Delaney Collins of Pilot Mound , Man . Schroeder is one of the top goaltenders in the U . S . -based Junior Women ’ s Hockey League . In eight games so far this season , she has a 2.50 goals against average and a . 928 save percentage on a team that is 6-3-5 through its first 14 games . Bell , meanwhile , is a very interesting two-sport athlete . For four years , she has competed in high school rodeos .
“ I started when I was in Grade 6 ,” she told hockeycanada . ca . “ I ’ ve always just rode horses . There were a few people I knew who competed in it , so I just thought I ’ d try it out .” She has competed in barrel racing , pole bending , goat tying and breakaway roping in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association . Her best event was breakaway roping and although she qualified for nationals one year but couldn ’ t compete because it interfered with a hockey camp . “ It ’ s just a nice break to get away from hockey ,” Bell said of her rodeo exploits . “ You can go out whenever and just ride . It ’ s very relaxing .” Bell has already committed to play hockey at the University of North Dakota .
THE NOTEBOOK : For the second consecutive year , University of Manitoba Bisons captain Jordan DePape was named to the U Sports men ’ s hockey roster for a special series of games against Canada ’ s national junior men ’ s team . The games were played before the World Junior at the Centre d ’ Excellence Sports Rousseau , home of the QMJHL ’ s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada … Colt Conrad from St . Alphonse , Man ., scored the game-winning goal for Andy Murray ’ s Western Michigan University Broncos at 11:55 of overtime to give the Broncos their first Great Lakes Invitational title since 2013 . The championship game at Joe Louis Arena finished in a 1-0 victory for WMU over the Michigan Tech Huskies . Conrad was named a tournament all-star and GLI Tournament MVP … Led by top scorers Kyle Schroeder and Blake Burr , the City Triple A Midget Sharks went out to Banff and chewed up the competition . The Sharks defeated their league-rivals , the Winnipeg Warriors , in the semifinal and then beat Sherwood Park , Alberta ’ s Strathcona Warriors 5-2 in the championship game to win the Banff Invitational Tournament ... No one in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League has had a better year than Jeremey Leipsic . The Portage Terriers star , who leads the MJHL in scoring , has 22 goals and 68 points this season in his first 40 games . He ’ s so far ahead in the scoring race , he leads the No . 2 scorer , his linemate Chase Brakel , by 10 points . In the month of December , Leipsic had five goals and 19 points in just nine games and was named MJHL Player of the Month for December . It ’ s the second time this season that Leipsic has been named player of the month . He was also named Player of the Month for October when he had nine goals and 28 points in 14 games … And St . James Canucks veteran assistant captain Mitch Lockhart had a tremendous month of December . In six games , Lockhart had seven goals and 12 points and was named the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League ’ s player of the month for December . n
DARBY GULA
TRIPLE A MIDGET SHARKS WIN IN BANFF 2016 - 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION GAME ON 123