Yeah yeah, this isn’t YouTube. But I prefer to write than sit in front of a camera and talk to myself, so here we are! You don’t want to see my mug for 7 minutes anyway – be honest with yourselves!
Without further adieu… the 2022-23 Eastern Ice Breakers are an interesting group. The back end is very young, and their offence should be able to keep them in just about any game on the island and abroad. Here we go! For a full roster, click here!
Breakers Social Media
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AAAmidgetEIB
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084478496994
Goalies
Lily Griffiths (2007) / Haley Bennett (2005). Griffiths has excellent technical skills and a great demeanour for the position. A well-liked player in the locker room to boot. Griffiths slots in to play alongside last years starter Haley Bennett, who posted solid peripherals for returning head coach Tony Goobie last winter. It remains to be seen if this masked marauder duo is the top-of-the-heap this season, but on paper, I’m not sure if you’ll find a deeper pair.
Defence
Emily Edmunds, Claire Crocker, and Emma Griffin are all 07’s and will join returnees Clara Fillier (06), Denene Walsh (06), and.. Heidi Newbury? (’06); the question mark refers to me being unsure if Newbury is the former forward-turned-D on this team. This D corps is young folks – as if you couldn’t deduce that from the lack of an ’05 birthyear on the blue line. The ‘Breakers leaned heavily on Holly Thistle and Emily White during their Cinderella playoff run this past Spring, and with both players graduating due to age this Summer, there will be a boat load of minutes available to whoever proves to the coaching staff that they deserve them. This D group brings some elements to the table – Edmunds has size and can drive the puck, Griffin is big and physical, Fillier and Walsh think the game well and Newbury is multi-position eligible. Claire Crocker is vastly improved from a season ago. Assistant Coach Tom Walsh will likely assume the duties of coaching this crew, and has a wealth of experience. Walsh was a member of the U15AAA Tri-Pen Ice staff last season, and did some good things with a young D group out there in 2021-22.
Forwards
Haley Ryan was a top scorer in the U18 league in 2021-22, and should continue her assault on the offensive leaderboard as a 3rd year this season. Ryan will likely play big minutes down the middle along with veteran speedster Julia Butler and U18 HNL Provincial team Centre Molly Gill. This triumvirate of centres are talented and bring an abundance of experience to a locker room that is younger than previous years.
Tony Goobie has the luxury of pairing these centres with some pure goal scorers on the wings. Abby Fleet (’06) and Brooklyn Kitchen (’06) are snipers who should shine in the U18 circuit this season. Emily Stride (’05) is a proven point-producer in this lineup, with first year forwards Maggie Strong, Brooklyn Sturge and Stacey-Lynn Kenny jumping in to fill the void left from grads Katie Parsons and Rachel Hopkins (good luck in your future endeavours girls). It will be very interested to watch the development of Strong, Kenny and Sturge in Goobie’s offence this season, as all 3 have the potential to make major contributions right away.
In the System
The ‘Breakers had a huge tryout this September – enough for 2 teams of players to have exhibition games against one another. This goes to show the growth of the female game, and is a good sign for things to come from this province at the larger inter-provincial events in my opinion.
The Breakers have 6 AP’s on their roster; Avery Battcock (’06 D), Maggie Bussey (’06 D), Olivia King (’07 F), Teiana Lambert (’07 D), Sydney Jane Whitty (N/A), and Maggie Byer (’07 G). For those of you keeping score at home, there isn’t one player on this list that won’t be eligible to return in 2023-24. This roster has ‘win now’ written on it, but is clearly equipped to compete in subsequent seasons, too. Especially with the rapid development of players like Avery Battcock, who has improved leaps and bounds over the summer.
I have said many times that being an AP is a great situation for a player. Practicing with the big club will make you better, as will playing at a level where you’ll get lots of puck touches and develop confidence.
Did I forget someone? E-mail ap@vhghockey.ca or drop us a DM on our social media platforms that are littered across our web site.
Want 2022-23 Male U18 Major previews? Click here