Ringette glory for goaltender
Tewehshon Nelson’s English name is Patience, and that’s exactly what paid off for the goaltender and her Benjamin A squad at the Montreal North Ringette Tournament over the weekend.
The group had notched just two wins alongside 10 losses and two ties heading into the tournament, but that didn’t deter them heading into the tough competition.
“We had a lot to work with at the beginning of the year, and the girls have been slowly progressing,” said Jeffrey Nelson, Tewehshon’s father and the coach of the team, the Blainville Cavaliers.
Jeffrey noted the Benjamin C team he coached last year, with several of the same players, flourished over their season before winning the same tournament with an epic comeback, fuelled by three goals in a minute and a half.
Now the team has put in a repeat performance with another nail-biting finale.
“To be able to do it again, it was just remarkable, just because we were the underdogs,” he said. “I think it makes it a little sweeter.”
The team dropped just one game in the round robin, falling 3-1 to the highly ranked Gatineau Vortex. “They’re very, very tough,” said Nelson.
But the Cavaliers got their chance for revenge in the gold medal match on February 9.
The Cavaliers trailed 1-0 for most of the game after the Vortex scored in the first period, but the team kept fighting.
“It was just a great game, a goaltending battle between the two goalies,” said Nelson.
With just 41 seconds left in the game, the Cavaliers managed to sneak one into the back of the net to tie the game up at one.
“We just kind of demoralized them. They were shocked,” said Jeffrey.
The Vortex managed to get themselves into penalty trouble, heading into overtime with two players in the box. The Cavaliers seized on the opportunity to score a 2-1 victory and take the gold.
“I was very happy and surprised,” said Tewehshon.
“It felt good. I think for everyone else it boosted everything.”
Despite her team’s offensive struggles, Tewehshon has been holding it down in the net, even sparing for the Junior AA team for the past month after that squad’s second goalie got injured.
“It means a lot,” Tewehshon said of the opportunity. “I was thinking I wouldn’t get to higher levels in the first place until my dad showed me that I could.”
Between the two ringette squads and the Ratihén:te High School volleyball team, it’s been busy to say the least. But it’s all been worthwhile – her dad can see the difference the higher-level competition is making for Tewehshon.
“The practices alone are just making her almost unbeatable, it’s crazy,” he said, adding that the Junior AA team is developing her to join next year.
In the meantime, he was thrilled as a coach and a father to see Tewehshon get to experience gold medal success at the Montreal North tournament.
“She was so happy because she’s been the backbone of the team,” he said. “She’s an incredible goaltender. It’s unbelievable what she does every game for the team. And the team has been getting better and better slowly, and everything just kind of came together.
Sign up for email updates from The Eastern Door
“I know she was ecstatic.”
The Benjamin A Blainville Cavaliers still have a handful of games left in the season, while Provincials are coming up in March before another tournament in April.
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
