16U's Compete in Prestigious Assabet Tournament

The Team Illinois 16U team traveled to Boston over the 2004 Halloween weekend to play in the Assabet tournament. This was the first time that a TI team was invited. The entire team was excited about being selected to this prestigious tournament. This event featured some of the best 16U and 19U teams from across the country.  

Team Illinois opened the tournament facing off against the Assabet 16U team. Unfortunately, the Red Sox won the World Series and the Boston airport and surrounding expressways were flooded with travelers coming to the area to join in for the weekend celebration. This clogged the expressways and several of the players arrived at, or just after, game time. This was a huge disadvantage for the team as Assabet was well rested and prepared for the match. Nevertheless, Brittany Lemke was not flustered and played strong in the net as she held off several powerful rushes from the Assabet forwards to start the game. At the midway point of the opening period, Assabet scored the first goal of the tournament past the screened TI goalie. 

Katie Cachey tied the score in the second period after a great feed from Melissa Kravich. Katie Osikowicz and CC Wyshnytzky consistently won the battle for loose pucks in the corners and created numerous scoring chances. Excellent transitional play by both teams highlighted the high skill level of both teams. The Assabet team knew that they were in for a battle. However, Assabet prevailed with two straight tallies to end the period with a 3 to 1 lead.  

Team Illinois knew they had to play aggressively to get back into the game. Courtney Bean, with assists from Jenna Dancewicz and Jillian Kirchner, skated hard to the net and muscled a shot through the overmatched Assabet goaltender. In the end, the Assabet coaches shortened their bench and were able to notch one additional goal in the third period. Assabet, perennially one of the top ranked teams on a national basis, won the game by a score of 4 to 2. Although a losing effort, the TI skaters opened the eyes of the many coaches and scouts who were in attendance. 

The second game of the tournament pitted TI against the Washington Pride 19U team. Although the Pride had the advantage of size, age and experience, TI was able to counter with their team speed and aggressive forechecking. Megan Gallagher was between the pipes for the game and would be called upon to make several key saves in the contest. Although playing against a bigger team, the defensive corps of Courtney Bean, Megan Bozek, Katie Daniels, Diana Karouzos, and Erin May consistently stopped the offensive surges from the Pride team. The Pride would finish the game with a total of only ten shots on net. 

Brianna Wolf opened the scoring midway through the first period. Passes from Daniels and Cachey left Wolf open in front of the net where she proceeded to fire a one timer past the fallen goalie. The game featured numerous rushes up the ice from the offense including Kim Kowalczyk, Erika Greenen, Katie Osikowicz and CC Wyshnytzky. However, the Pride goalie consistently made save after save. No goals were scored until late in the game when the Pride pulled their goalie. A face-off deep in the TI zone was pulled into the corner by Katie Iraci. The Pride was able to dig the puck out of the corner and pass to a wide open center in front of the net. The Pride skater proceeded to go top shelf on Gallagher and tied the score at one apiece. Coach Cachey argued that the referees failed to call several penalties which preceded the goal and afforded the Pride the opportunity to tie the game. The referres failed to agree and the score remained a tie. 

Overall, the game was dominated by the TI squad. They outshot the Pride recording 26 shots on goal to only 11 for the Pride. The coaches commented that the girls skated a great game and deserved a better outcome. 

TI girls were gaining momentum for the next game in the evening against the National Sports Academy (NSA) from Lake Placid, New York. Again, this would be a team comprised of primarily older skaters. The TI girls entered the third game knowing they would have to not only win the game, but they had to dominate each period, to move onto the next round. The NSA took an early lead in the first period. The TI forwards continued to press in the offensive zone but were unable to tally their first goal. With 2:30 left in the first period, TI pulled their goalie. Katie Iraci picked up a loose puck at the side of the net and buried it to even the score. 

The NSA team was able to pick up two quick goals in the second period. At this point the team could have thrown in the towel. However, TI was not to be denied. Jenna Dancewicz, who brought along her own cheering section to the tournament, slid one past the NSA goalie to bring TI to within one goal. 

The offense came alive in the third period. Again, Coach Cachey pulled the goalie. Relentless pressure finally evened the score on a goal by Katie Daniels. Now it was NSA's turn to pull their goalie to try to win the game. Jillian Kirchner won the face-off at mid ice and shot into the empty net. It was a great come from behind victory that will help build the confidence of the team throughout the year. 

Although they missed moving into the semifinal round by only half a point, Coach Cachey was very positive about their play at the tournament. "Overall, we played very well. Some minor breakdowns need to be corrected. The skaters played hard every game and received many positive comments from scouts and coaches alike. We look forward to Jordan Brickner returning from her early season injury and helping us out at the blue line. For many of the players, the competition was the strongest they have played against. This will help them compete in league play as well as the upcoming Polar Bear tournament." Finally, all of the parents want to thank the managers, Cindy May and Scott Daniels for their hard work coordinating the trip.