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The U18 AAA Saskatoon Stars are ready to represent Saskatchewan at the Esso Cup for the first time since 2019.
After finishing the season with a record of 18-8-4, the Stars won provincials and defeated the Western Selects out of Winnipeg in a best-of-three championship series to book their ticket to nationals.
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In the series against the Selects, the Stars had to overcome a 1-0 defect and win two games in a row.
The Stars’ roster is made up of players aged 15 to 18.
Alana Serhan, who is in her first season as the team’s head coach, said her players have come a long way to get to this point.
“We had 11 new players this year. We started the season off with a weekend at the cabin, team building. That was hugely important,” Serhan explained.
“We’ve done lots of things throughout the season – different team building exercises, things like that. I think that’s definitely helped our group mesh very well.”
Kolbee Ashe is in her third season with the Stars and had 35 points in 30 games this year.
After three years of trying to get to the Esso Cup, she said she’s glad to finally get the opportunity.
“It feels unreal. Our first year, we went right to the (provincial) finals and, unfortunately, lost. Then, our second year, we didn’t make it very far. So finally, in our third year, making it feels incredible,” said Ashe, who is committed to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology next year.
“It was just like a weight lifted off your shoulders, knowing that was our goal from the start of the year,” Ashe added. “Everyone has that dream to go, but not everyone makes it there, right? There’s only a few that ever do.”
Serhan said her team can explode offensively, and the stats prove that. This season, the Stars had four of Saskatchewan’s 10 leading point scorers.
But it’s not just the offence that has helped lead the Stars back to the Esso Cup. The goaltending has also been a big factor.
Between the pipes, the Stars have been led by 15-year-old rookie sensation Tarynn Sutter, from Kelvington. In 18 starts during the regular season, Sutter finished with a 15-2 record, two shutouts and a .940 save percentage.
Although Sutter is only 15, Serhan said the whole team feeds off of her poise in the net.
“Taryn brings a really calm presence in between the pipes. She’s not a person that’s easily shaken or riled up, so that calmness kind of ripples its way throughout our team,” Serhan said. “When the game is stressful and there’s pucks flying and bodies flying in front of the net, Taryn’s just cool, calm and collected.”
Heading into the Esso Cup, Serhan said she isn’t worried about what the other teams they face will throw at them. Instead, Serhan said she wants her players to focus on themselves and what they can do to help win hockey games.
“A lot of that preparation is definitely underway right now, but a little bit of the mantra all season long was ‘Let’s not worry about other teams. Let’s focus on what we do great,’ and we do a lot of things really great,” she said.
“Ultimately, we want to play our game, and we want to set the bar.”
Serhan said she’s confident her team can win the championship.
“From a coaching perspective, you kind of just got to sit back and ensure that the team’s been prepared the right way, and that you put in the work all season long, and now the girls are just going to execute the plan,” she added.
The Stars’ first game of the Esso Cup is scheduled for 11 a.m. against the North York Storm in Lloydminster.
The tournament runs from Sunday to Saturday.
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