The Carleton Ravens ringette team competed in the 2015 Ontario A Provincial Ringette Championships on Friday 20 to Saturday 21 in Toronto.
It proved to be a tough weekend as the Ravens went 0-6 in their games, with losses to Western, Cambridge, Valley East, Hamilton, Markham, and the University of Ottawa (U of O).
The U of O Gee-Gees came out of the tournament as the provincial champions, beating the group from Cambridge 5-3 in the tournament final March 22.
This was the first time the Ravens qualified for the Ontario Provincial Championship, they knew this would bring some new challenges.
Ravens fourth-year player Leah Morrell said her team has come far this year.
“Going into provincials, we had had a very strong season,” Morrell said. “We finished first in our local league (GAARA) in the season, and despite a poor playoff performance, we were very happy with that accomplishment.”
However, the competition at the Ontario provincials proved to be stiff. Playing against the best teams in the province left very little room for error, according to Morrell.
“In a competition such as provincials, there is no room for small errors,” Morrell said. “We were up against the best of the best in Ontario Ringette, and we needed to be near perfect to pull off a win.”
Samantha Flavell, another member of the Ringette team, also reflected those sentiments. Flavell said the team knew of the challenges that awaited them and the tournament acts as a good learning experience.
“I think overall we still did well, and represented Carleton well,” Flavell said. “If you look at the scores of the games, we didn’t get blown out at any of them. We kept it really tight and showed that we belonged in that tier. “
Morrell, who also acts as the team’s manager, said the team will use the tournament as a learning experience and come back stronger next season.
The Ravens biggest loss was a 4-0 defeat to the Gee-Gees. Despite that, she thinks the scoreboard doesn’t paint a good picture of how the games transpired.
“One might look at the scores of the games and think that we weren’t successful this weekend,” she said. “I feel that the scores of the games really don’t justify the feel of them. Each game was very close in play, and we just weren’t able to pull out a win this weekend.”
The team’s game against the rival Gee-Gees is one that will help their development, according to Flavell.
“It’s always fun to play (the Gee-Gees). Overall I think we had a really good game and played hard, we just ended up on the side we didn’t want,” she said.
For Flavell and the Ravens, it will be back to the drawing board this season. But with the team gaining experience in the top tier for the first time, Morrell is optimistic that things will turn around.
“It is always disappointing to go to a tournament and not get the success that you feel you deserved, but there is always next year.”
