On a blustery Tuesday morning, fans and athletes funneled into the Brett Memorial Ice Arena for a match-up of female U19 hockey, Team Alaska versus Team Nunavut. All around the rink, fans of Team Alaska waved flags, rang cowbells, and shouted encouragement. Not to be outdone, the Nunavut contingent of athletes, fans, and family banged their feet on the bleachers, waved flags, and blew noisemakers.
The game unfolded with a showcase of strategy and hockey prowess. The first period set the stage for an intense showdown, with both Alaska and Nunavut displaying exceptional skill and coordination on the ice. The defensive maneuvers and goal-tending of both teams kept the score sheet clean, creating an air of anticipation for the forthcoming periods.
The excitement reached its peak in the second period, as Alaska's Aliana Burnside opened the scoring with a remarkable goal, finding the back of the net with 16:04 left in the second period. Burnside's precise shot and deft maneuvering brought the crowd to its feet. Alaska's Kendall Ketchum added to the lead with a goal at the 9:01 making the score 2-0. As the period drew to a close, Ketchum struck again with an impressive goal, leaving only 24 seconds on the clock. The quick succession of goals by Alaska highlighted their offensive chops. The score at the end of the second period was 3-0 in favor of Alaska.
As the game went into the third period, Nunavut had a challenging deficit they were not able to overcome. Aliana Burnside netted her second goal with just 4:15 left on the clock, extending the lead for Alaska 4-0. Grace White sealed the victory for Alaska with a goal at the 3:26 mark, and a 5-0 win. As the final buzzer rang, celebrations from Alaska fans shook the rafters.