The Underdogs of the Rink: Tommies Win Again

Hockey is Canada’s beloved sport. Fredericton’s local universities’ hockey teams, the St. Thomas University Tommies and University of New Brunswick Reds, are always willing to serve a good game.

On November 27th, the Tommies and Reds played against each other in a nail biting game to victory at the Grant Harvey Centre. Noises from the rink filled the arena as the players battled it out.  This was the 17th game of the women’s hockey season of 2019-2020.

 

 

Fans of all ages came out to support the Tommies with enthusiasm and pride. Proud families and friends cheered the players on as the match grew more and more intense. In the first period, both STU and UNB  had an unfortunate loss as neither teams were able to score a point. However, that did not stop fans from supporting the girls with excitement and confidence.

 

 

As the game progressed, the UNB Reds had finally scored a point in the second period. But, the Tommies were not far behind. They managed to score their first point in the third round. This had really set the heat to an all time high in the competition. One of the bystanders and a fellow student at St. Thomas University, Akeilia Valentine, says she was agitated over the draw score.

“I began to get a little nervous for the girls, but I knew that they would come through to victory in the end.”

The Tommies were able to score a second point in the last 30 seconds of the game, beating the Reds 2-1. This was a shocking victory as the bleachers erupted in screams and cheers of happiness from fans across the arena.

           

 

Since the Tommies were having a hard time scoring throughout the game, it was a bittersweet moment for some of the players when they won. The players had a lot to say at the end of the game, as they celebrated in a huddle on the rink, then raced to the backroom.

 

“I feel kind of satisfied with the results of the game. I think we worked hard during training to get tonight’s victory,” says Brooke Stanford, a defense player of the STU Tommies. She states that she felt they could’ve done a little better in this game compared to the last one, as they achieved a five point win. “Despite the struggle to score throughout most of the game, we tackled harder and harder and did our best in fighting for the win. So I think we did good.”

This is the Tommies’ 9th win of the season. Hopefully, they continue to win multiple victories in the second half of the season. But, no matter what, there will always be a crowd of fans to bring cheers and support.