Northern Lights win home hockey tourney

For the first time since it began, the home team won the sixth annual Whitefish Women’s Winter Face-off hockey tournament.

On Sunday at the Stump-town Ice Den, in front of more than a hundred rowdy hockey fans, the Whitefish Northern Lights defeated Kootenay, B.C., in a thrilling shoot-out to claim the trophy.

“We were all pretty excited,” Lights forward Cody McCarthy said. “We were all pretty shocked at how well we did against them in the first game, so we knew we had a chance.”

The Lights lost 0-1 to the same Kootenay team in the opening match of the tournament on Friday night. In previous years, they lost by five or six goals to the feisty Canadian women.

The Lights went on to beat both Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass on Saturday to advance to the title match.

Although it was at 10 a.m. on Sunday, a big international crowd turned out to watch the Americans take on the Canadians for tournament glory.

The Lights fought Kootenay to a 4-4 tie and sent the game into overtime. The extra period went scoreless, so the game had to be decided by a nerve-wracking shoot-out.

Northern Lights goalkeeper Jenn Corp made a great save to start off the shoot-out, putting up the Lights 1-0.

McCarthy then put the puck in the net against the Kootenay goal tender, and Corp followed that up with another big stop.

After that, it all came down to Lights forward Jill Burtt. She scored on her opportunity, giving the Lights an insurmountable lead in the shoot-out and making them tourney champs.

“It was definitely a fan pleaser,” said Whitefish head coach Ryan Ulvin.

McCarthy said there are many reasons why the American hockey players were finally able to get the monkey off their backs and beat their northern rivals when it counted.

“I would say it’s definitely our coaches,” she said. “We work on basic fundamentals in practice — basic skating skills, cycling and passing. It was very different from last year’s championship game when Fernie just skated circles around us.”

The Northern Lights finally proved they can hang with the best women hockey players in the region with their showing on Sunday.

“That goal they got against us (in the first game) was kind of a garbage goal,” McCarthy said. “We just played better as a team in the second game.”

Rink manager Andy Hergesheimer said the tournament was an all-around big hit.

“This weekend was the highest level of hockey our tournament has seen without a doubt,” he said. “It was pretty raucous and loud. The gals were great both on and off the ice.”

Hergesheimer said the local economy probably received a big boost, as six teams from Missoula, Helena and Canada came to town with their families and spent money on lodging, shopping and drinks.

“The bars and restaurants were full with players,” he said with a laugh. “Everyone had a great time.”

The Lights will travel to Missoula on Jan. 16 for their next game.