An undefeated weekend for the Prince George Open Rush ringette team allowed them to return home from the Edmonton Silver Ringette tournament with the gold medal.
In dramatic fashion the Rush, sponsored by Ray's Stucco, clinched the title when Aimee Qualizza fired the winning goal in a 7-6 overtime game against the Edmonton Hornets. It was the second straight one-goal game for the Rush, who earned the berth in the final after an 8-7 win over the Edmonton Fury.
The Rush began their weekend in Alberta's capital with an 11-1 win over the Edmonton Vengeance before scoring a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Thunder and a 7-3 win over the Edmonton Ice.
Offensively the Rush were led by Rory Bird with 12 goals, while Qualizza had nine, Layne Ongman potted seven and Kristen Tooms found the back of the net six times. Other goal scorers were Justine Lamothe, Nikki Leblanc, Janelle Tuininga and Daniella Salazar.
The defenders - Nicole Crandell, Whitney Wilson, Stephaney Thompson and Caitlin Zacharias - had a strong weekend in stopping the opposition, while Lisa Matzelle was stellar in the Rush net.
The Rush will spend the next few weeks preparing for the provincial championship in Surrey, March 21-24.
