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It's been a terrific run for the U17 Eastman Wildcats as they claimed gold at provincials and also wrapped up Nationals in Warman, Saskatchewan, where they finished 7th in the nation.
Coach Pat Tetrault provided details on the teams run. "Our U17 Eastman Wildcats placed 7th out of a 24 very competitive AAA teams in the U17 Canadian Women Nationals in Warman. Placing 7th in the entire country is a complete success for this group."
The Wildcats represented Manitoba 1 in the National Championship from July 30th to August 3rd and lost out in the Quarter Finals VS BC 2 White Rock Renegades.
Tetrault looked back at the start of the year, and says he's blown away by how far the group has come. "Considering they had a rocky start to the season where they lost 3 of their first 4 games, many thought this team would be lucky to finish top 4 in the province, let alone 7th in the entire country. The sputtering start to the season created adversity and challenged the team to become much closer and develop what started their team’s Motto and quiet belief in themselves."
The team had a motto that they not just believed in, they took it to heart and lived it. " We have NOTHING TO LOSE – BUT TO WIN!", Tetrault says with a big smile.
Winning became pretty common for the U17 Wildcats.
"The team delivered a dominant regular season campaign, posting a 12-game winning streak helping to secure the top seed in league standings," Tetrault explains. "When the postseason arrived, they put together a new run of 11 consecutive victories, including an unblemished 8–0 performance at the Provincial Championships, earning the Manitoba 1 designation for the U17 Canadian Championships. Carrying that momentum onto the national stage, they opened the tournament with three decisive wins, firmly establishing themselves as a championship contender and a force to be reckoned with at the highest stage."
Perhaps the best thing for the coach was how the team bonded, something that Tetrault really appreciates. "The girls came together as a team, they all had their roles to make this team successful and compete against the best teams in the Country. They started 3 – 0 in the round robin, bats were firing on all cylinders managing to score 32 runs and only allowing 6 against. They lost a heart breaking multi extra innings game vs Team Quebec and ended up beating the highly favoured – powerhouse team from Ontario 1 – the UTM Bandits in the first round of the playoffs, locking in their 7th place finish."
A special group will remember this season for a long, long time.
*Team photo details*
From Left to Right
Back Row: Jen Normandeau (coach), Molly Cowan, Chloe Carriere, Morgan Plett, Joelle Normandeau, Evelyn Calder, Annabelle Tetrault, Ella Sawatzky, Dereck Heppner (coach)
Front Row: Brandi Tetrault (mgr), Brooklyn Milloy, Kelsey Warkentine, Kennedy Morissette, Sadie Church, Jadyn Plett, Kaitlyn Bonkowski, Jade Heppner, Pat Tetrault (coach)
Missing from the Picture – Dominique Tetrault (coach)