The SAIT Trojans women’s hockey team took on Team China Tuesday, Dec. 4 at the SAIT arena.
After China had already beat the University of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars of the ACAC, as well as the national champion University of Alberta Pandas, the Trojans pulled off an impressive 5-2 win.
“We came ready to play,” Nicole Hunter, a second-year Trojan, said.
With a couple of unfortunate losses before the winter break, the Trojans were ready to play after a week of hard practices.
“We knew we weren’t the team that we should have been…and knew that it would happen again if we didn’t step up our game,” Bret Seaton, a first-year Trojan, said.
Although the Chinese national team displayed fast skating, great passing ability and toughness in the corners, the outcome didn’t go their way.
“We weren’t ready to play, I could tell in warm-up,” Steve Carlyle, Team China’s head coach, said.
The team has been in Calgary since Oct. 1 and will be heading home Dec. 23. With only one other women’s team in China to compete against, Team China felt coming to Canada would give them more competition and improve their skills.
“We’ve really improved although it was hard to tell that tonight,” Carlyle said.
Carlyle also talked about the variation of teams they can compete against while being in Canada.
“We can find teams of all different levels here.”
Team China forward, Su Zi Wei, also talked about how she has definitely learned more from playing against higher level teams and how the experience has been great, through the help of the team’s translator.
With Team China having a 1-0 lead after the first period, the Trojans responded with 4 unanswered goals in the second, many which were on the power play due to Team China’s rough play.
After Emily Burton’s second goal of the game in the middle of the third, the Trojans took a 5-1 lead. Team China responded with 5:54 left in the game, but the Trojans earlier effort gave them the 5-2 win.
“It was those little things that we did…I think the girls were hungry tonight,” Graham Thomas, Trojans head coach, said.
After China had already beat the University of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars of the ACAC, as well as the national champion University of Alberta Pandas, the Trojans pulled off an impressive 5-2 win.
“We came ready to play,” Nicole Hunter, a second-year Trojan, said.
With a couple of unfortunate losses before the winter break, the Trojans were ready to play after a week of hard practices.
“We knew we weren’t the team that we should have been…and knew that it would happen again if we didn’t step up our game,” Bret Seaton, a first-year Trojan, said.
Although the Chinese national team displayed fast skating, great passing ability and toughness in the corners, the outcome didn’t go their way.
“We weren’t ready to play, I could tell in warm-up,” Steve Carlyle, Team China’s head coach, said.
The team has been in Calgary since Oct. 1 and will be heading home Dec. 23. With only one other women’s team in China to compete against, Team China felt coming to Canada would give them more competition and improve their skills.
“We’ve really improved although it was hard to tell that tonight,” Carlyle said.
Carlyle also talked about the variation of teams they can compete against while being in Canada.
“We can find teams of all different levels here.”
Team China forward, Su Zi Wei, also talked about how she has definitely learned more from playing against higher level teams and how the experience has been great, through the help of the team’s translator.
With Team China having a 1-0 lead after the first period, the Trojans responded with 4 unanswered goals in the second, many which were on the power play due to Team China’s rough play.
After Emily Burton’s second goal of the game in the middle of the third, the Trojans took a 5-1 lead. Team China responded with 5:54 left in the game, but the Trojans earlier effort gave them the 5-2 win.
“It was those little things that we did…I think the girls were hungry tonight,” Graham Thomas, Trojans head coach, said.
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