When the Northern Capitals step on the ice on Boxing Day in Calgary for their opening game at the Mac's Triple-A Midget Hockey Tournament, whether they like it or not, they'll be wearing targets on their backs.
It comes with the territory when you're the defending champs.
A little less than a year ago the Prince George-based Capitals showed a national TV audience what they were made of when they skated to a convincing 5-1 win over the Rocky Mountain Raiders of Okotoks, Alta., to claim the Mac's title.
Six players remain from that Capitals team that three months later went on to win its second consecutive provincial championship before their season ended with a loss on Prince George ice to the Raiders in the Pacific Cup regional series.
The thrill of winning the prestigious Mac's tournament is an accomplishment no hockey player can ever get enough of and returning forwards Cailly Mellott, Mckenze Muir, Katie Young and Jordan Shanks, as well as defencemen Victoria Johnston and Kenna Lloyd want that feeling again. They were regulars in the Capitals' lineup last year, while forward Mya Ziemer and defenceman Sarah Jarvis also shared in the experience as bantam callups.
"I feel like it's a lot of pressure because we have a standard to live up to but I'm hoping we'll be able to take it for the second year," said Young, a native of Quesnel, in her second full season with the Capitals.
"I've never been part of something that cool. It was like being NHL players, how they treated us, it was really awesome and really fun. We felt like the underdogs in the tournament and then we took everybody by surprise."
The Capitals reeled off six straight victories at the Mac's outscoring their opponents by a combined 18-4.
Now under a completely different coaching staff with Carl Johnston taking over from Mario Desjardins as head coach and three new assistants - Dayle Poulin, Megan Price and Jennifer Fuller - the Capitals have had to retool. They are no longer the league frontrunners but they head into the Christmas break a solid second in the B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League standings with an 8-6-1 record, tied in points with the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers (6-4-5), and 13 points behind the first-place Greater Vancouver Comets (25-0-0).
"We had a lot of quality players who have come in to Prince George to play for the team this year and we're not surprised with where we are in the standings, we've been playing well," said Carl Johnston.
"Those girls (who won the Mac's tournament last year) understand how much work it takes, on and off the ice, to make it happen, and that's been huge as far as mentoring the younger players. It's a huge benefit to the team because they understand how to deal with the pressure and what it takes to be there. Last year at the Mac's was almost like a fairytale win for the team. It was something everyone will remember, it was certainly special."
The Capitals lack the exceptional speed they had last season now that the likes of Hunter Mosher, Sage Desjardins, Taylor Beck and Marissa Nichol having graduated the midget ranks, along with defensive specialists Victoria Byer, Grace Barlow and goalie Kelsey Roberts. But they've still got plenty of firepower with their dynamic duo - first-year midget winger Braxtyn Shawara and Mellott share the lead in the league scoring race.
"I think we're doing really good considering how many people we lost from last season," said Young, who plays on a line with Mallott and Shanks. "We're developing pretty good as a team and we're working a lot better together compared to the start of the year. We're very good at communicating together, our passing is coming along a lot and our positioning on the ice is a lot better - we know how to find each other better."
Shawara, whose father Mitch played three seasons of pro hockey in the WCHL and CHL after a junior career as a power forward for the Prince Albert Raiders, has her dad's hockey instincts. In 15 games, the native of McBride has scored 12 goals and has 17 points, while Mellott, a 17-year-old native of 100 Mile House, has been equally productive with 11 goals and six assists.
"Braxtyn just turned 15 (Dec. 7) and it's her first year in the league," said coach Johnston. "She was named player of the month in the league for November for the quality of volunteer work she's done with Prince George Minor Hockey and for her academic marks, plus the points he's put up have brought her up to the top. She's very coachable and really likes being out there and she will really shine is she stays with it over the next couple years."
The Capitals found another gem in 15-year-old forward Wynonna Creyke from Dease Lake, who represented the Tahltan First Nation on Team B.C. in May at the aboriginal national championship in Mississauga, Ont. They've also added 16-year-old defenceman Reilly MacLachlan, who comes from the tiny farming community of Cecil Lake, east of Fort St. John. MacLachlan has made her presence felt kickstarting the Caps' offence with two goals and five points in 15 games.
Veterans Lloyd and Johnston, with 11 and nine points respectively, have taken the lead in directing the Capitals' offence from the blueline.
The goaltending duties have been divided equally between 16-year-olds Olivia Davis (Qualicum Beach) and Nicole Kay (North Vancouver) who both moved to Prince George to play for the Capitals. Davis sports a 1.71 goals-against average while Kay has allowed an average 2.51 goals per game.
"They played midget A last year and we're very happy with the way they're performing," said Carl Johnston. "Both deserve to be there and it's working out really well for us."
Forwards Danielle Corrigan, Jordan McMillan and Camryn Scully and defencemen Malena Pillipow and Caitlyn White, all from Prince George, round out the rest of the Caps' rookie crop.
The Capitals play the Calgary Fire in their first game at the Mac's on Monday. They're pooled with the Fire, Saskatoon Stars, Fraser Valley Rush and San Jose Junior Sharks. The other pool includes the Kootenay Wild, Vancouver Island Seals, Rocky Mountain Raiders, Westman Wildcats and Melville Prairie Fire.
