The U-12 Blazers girls represented the Seaway Valley well at the Annual Icebreaker Tournament in Ottawa recently, with a final third-place finish out of 32 teams. Each game proved to be competitive and exciting. To start things off, the Blazers met up with the Gloucester Hornets. A first-of-the-season goal for Sarah Lefebvre set the tone, while Melissa Gilligan added one more for a 2–0 final. Great goalkeeping by Emilie Lamarche and Madison McLeod kept the Blazers in the lead. Game 2 against the Dollard Dragons was equally matched, with the only goal of the game happening in the last minute of play. Ashley McCormick was tripped in the Dragon’s crease, resulting in a free kick and a goal for the Blazers. McCormick came through for the Blazers with a 1–0 finish. Game 3 proved to be an aggressive game against Markham Lightning. It was a hard-fought game, as Markham scored early on, causing the first loss of 1–0 for the Blazers. Defensive team Brigitte Point, Jenna Thompson, Sarah Ouellet, Chelsey Bourgeois and Dee McDonald kept the scoring to a minimum. By game 4, the Blazers, now getting used to the bigger field, started demonstrating their great passing skills. Up against West Carleton Talons, Marni Campeau put a far shot in the top corner of the Talons’ net. After halftime, Melissa Gilligan made the best of precision passes from Glenna Martel, Arielle Gravelle and Sarah Lefebvre to score 3 more goals for the Blazers. Game 4 finished with a 4–0 win for the Blazer girls. Sunday saw the Blazers up against Lakeshore. Although the Blazers had some good scoring opportunities, Lakeshore remained undefeated. The Blazers lost 3–0. When the Blazers met the Ajax Panthers for their second game of the day, they were ready. Again, McLeod and Lamarche kept the ball out of the Blazers’ net. Stephanie Leger, Miranda Marion and Taylor Seguin pushed the play forward to the Panthers’ end, giving Gilligan and McCormick each an opportunity to score, giving the win to the Blazers with a score of 2–0. Game 3 saw the Blazers against the Dollard Dragons again, who were hoping to earn their spot in the semi-finals. The Blazers were not about to let that happen. Gravelle took advantage of a free kick to get the ball front and centre. Lefebvre bounced it in for a first goal. Abby Yates pushed the play up the sidelines to give Gravelle support for a second goal. The Blazers would advance to the semi-finals with a 2–0 final. Now the Blazers had to face Markham Lightning one more time before the finals. Both teams came out strong, but it was Markham that scored the first goal of the game. A second goal for Markham sealed their fate, and the Blazers girls finished the tournament with a third-place finish. Coaches Christine Campeau and J.F. Lefebvre were most proud of the team’s first effort this season.