Ice Hawks to represent Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie’s Under-16 Ice Hawks, a member of the Sault Ringette Club, will do something that hasn’t happened in the 35-year history of the club.

The team will represent Ontario in the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships, which open on Apr. 13 in Pierrefonds, Que.

The Ice Hawks entered the provincial tournament in Pickering, Ont. as the second ranked team in the province with an 11-2-2 record. The team posted a 3-2-1 round robin record to advance to the semifinals.

In semifinal action, the Ice Hawks beat West Ottawa by a 3-1 to advance to the tournament championship. In the championship game, the Ice Hawks beat Timmins 3-0 to earn the provincial title.

In the round robin, the Ice Hawks picked up wins over Forest (4-1), Timmins (5-4) and Sudbury (5-2). Sudbury entered the tournament as the top team in the province but the Ice Hawks used five unanswered goals to pick up the victory. The team also picked up a round robin tie against West Ottawa.

The team dropped games to London, 3-1 in the tournament opener, and Gloucester, 3-2.

The Ice Hawks have competed together in tournament action since 2009, which includes a division title at the U12 level.