Varsity Girls Hockey
Louis-Riel wins fifth straight 'AA' girls hockey championship
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

The Louis-Riel Rebelles can hang another championship banner in the school gymnasium after the varsity girls hockey team won their fifth staight title on Tuesday.

The Rebelles downed the St. Mark Lions 4-2 to win the best-of-three final series two games to one.

The series got off to a controversial start when the Lions had to forfeit the opening game after their top three players were told not to play by their competitive team.

When the Ottawa Citizen shed light on the controversy, the competitive team relented and the three girls dressed for Game 2. Unfortunately for the Rebelles, their top player, Morgan McNeill, had a with a soccer tournament and wasn't able to suit up. The result was a 3-2 win for St. Mark.

McNeill was back in the Rebelles' lineup for the rubber match and she proved to be the difference, scoring three of her team's four goals.

"She's an amazing athlete," boasted Rebelles head coach Mark Dregas after the game. "She was definitely the difference in the game."

Compared to the previous four championships the Rebelles won, the fifth was definitely the most challenging, said Dregas.

"This was the hardest one to win," said Dregas. "This team isn't as talented as the teams we've had in past years, but what they lacked in talent they more than made up for in grit and determination. They worked hard and they refused to lose."

The Rebelles finished the regular season tied for second place with a record of 6-3-1. They barely squeaked by John McCrae in their single-game elimination semi-final, eeking out a 5-4 win, to earn a berth in the final.

Next up for the Rebelles are the OFSAA championships which begin on March 20 in Belleville. The team will trying to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time since Louis-Riel won the gold medal in 2009.

(Posted 7:30 a.m., March 7)

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