"There's a pass out from behind the net, there's an opening, she shoots and she scores, Sophia Heidinger ends the game in double overtime and the Eastman Selects are league champions!"
A goal call that will live in the mind of "Dinger" for years to come. The 17-year-old from Winnipeg, who's spent that last three seasons with the Eastman Selects U18 AAA team, scored the winning goal to push the Selects to the top of the mountain, winning game five on home ice to claim the championship.
"I was so nervous going into that second overtime," Heidinger says, her voice indicating the stress even just thinking about it. "Nobody had water on the bench anymore, we all had to refill our water bottles, I had to get our goalie coach to fill mine. I was so nervous, my line actually started, it was me, Dany (Heppner) and Cheyanne (Scott-Cooke), we ended up going out there, pushing really hard. We got it deep but it ended up in our end, we got it back. ‘Cookie’ (Scott-Cooke) ended up passing it to me behind the net and I ended up having a chance where there was no goalie in the net and no one was around me. I took the chance and it still doesn't feel real."
In the moment, Heidinger admits it didn't really register that she was about to give the Selects, a team filled with people who have become family, a championship victory. "It happened so fast, but when I saw that net open for a split second and I wanted to take the chance. You always want to take the chance when it's open and it ended up working out. Coach Laird (Laluk) always says when you have the chance to shoot, shoot the puck. I didn't think I was going to score and I would have been happy with anyone that did score. I'm just happy it was us."
There's an old saying 'don't do anything good if you can't handle the celebration', and for Heidinger, she says she was ready for all that came after the goal, even if she didn't really see much. "Really, I only saw about two faces in my face. I saw Dany, who's my linemate and Mya Grenier. Those were the only two faces I saw because I wear a fishbowl, my fishbowl started fogging up, I think from all the screaming around us. It was so exciting getting to hug all the girls, we separated pretty fast because we all wanted to see each other. It was so much fun."
Having gone through battles with this group, Heidinger says to win it all with this team means a lot to everyone. "I think we all really care about each other," she says proudly. "We can all be honest with each other, like if we need something, we can be honest, that's really nice. It's allowed us to bond tightly. We've all gotten so close, I've got to know so many amazing people thanks to the Selects program. I have some great best friends and to win it all is really special."
Not done yet, Heidinger and the Selects are packing up for a road trip. "It's an 8 1/2 hour drive to Saskatoon," she says excitedly. "I think it'll be really good. If we can all show up with our game, we can push and go far. Saskatoon will push but I think we have a really good chance if we all buy-in and play the way we can."
Over the entire season, the coaching staff has praised the work of Heidinger and in the years going forward, they'll be looking for a "Sophia Heidinger type player", which is the ultimate compliment and something that Heidinger cherishes. "I'm really honoured that people speak highly of my name. I'll always speak highly of others in and around the program. People here are amazing. It means so much to me that I can be someone that's looked up to. I've always looked up to older girls, so I hope I can help inspire younger girls. I coach younger girls, so I really hope to inspire. I hope they can look up to me the way I looked up to many others."
Beyond this weekend, Heidinger is excited for her future. "For next year, I've committed to the University of Manitoba Bisons," the star forward says proudly. "I'm very excited for that. I'll be there for a couple of years throughout my studies at university. It's going to enhance my game a lot. This year has allowed me to find another level and get me to that next level, I can't thank my teammates and coaches enough."
Going pro is also a possibility one day. "I think it could be an option, though it's many years ahead," Heidinger says confidently. "For anyone that goes through hockey, it's so inspiring to see. To see any of my teammates or others reach that level, it would be so inspiring to others or even myself. I haven't looked too far into that with so many years still left in university, but maybe one day it could be an option."
Along with the memories, Heidinger will always have something special from that game five double overtime win, "oh yes, I've got the puck sitting on my shelf in my room," she says with a laugh. "I smile every time I see it."