BAD Blazers WOGHL U11C champs 

 Kocsis scores five times in a 7-2 downing of Bluewater in the final

 April 7, 2023

Belmont Aylmer Dorchester (BAD) Blazers, Western Ontario Girls Hockey League U11C champions, alphabetically are - Brooklyn Anderson, Paisley Best, Ellie Campbell, Sadie Davidson, Audrey Chipchase, Layla Ens, Vienna Firth, Grace Hansford, Charlee Hodgson, Leah Jarrett, Grace Kamenar, Addisyn Kocsis, Raylee McLeod, Aaliyah Stevenson, Brynlee Willsie. Head coach Roy Ens, assistant coach Adam Kocsis, assistant coach Mike Chipchase, trainer Krista Stevenson

By Rob J. Ross 

ZURICH, Ont. - Defence has been a team strength all season.

However in the Western Ontario Girls Hockey League (WOGHL) U11C final, the BAD Blazers exploded for seven goals downing the Bluewater Hawks, 7-2, for the title Saturday.

"Every player contributed something to the game," Blazers' head coach Roy Ens said. "Going into the third period, Bluewater had almost a minute of five on three power play and our team played through that with a tenacity I've never seen before. That gave us the momentum for a very strong finish."

Addisyn Kocsis with five goals and Audrey Chipchase with two scored.

Aaliyah Stevenson drew three assists, Raylee McLeod, two and Paisley Best and Brynlee Willsie, one each.

Scoreless after one period, Sadie Dufton gave Bluewater a 1-0 lead, with the first of her two goals.

A pair of goals from Kocsis sandwiched a Chipchase marker, giving the Blazers a 3-1 lead.

Bluewater opened the third period on the power play, but Stevenson scored shorthanded. Then it was all Blazers from the remainder of the game.

"We are not really a high scoring team, but we were strong defensively all season," Ens said.

The Blazers started the 2023-24 season slow, finishing the WOGHL regular season with a 5-9-0 record, but on a three game win streak.

"We really saw huge improvements everywhere," Ens said. "Playing as a team. We started the year with eveybody playing individually. After building some confidence in themselves and each other, we started seeing them play together and do really well in games."

BAD had basically rookies in net and in front on the blue-line.

"Both goalies were first year goalies. One had never played before and the other had played a few games here and there," Ens added. "We only had two players that had played defence previously, so we switched two players from forward to defence and they did a phenomenal job learning the position."

The Blazers caught fire in the WOGHL playoffs going 7-1-2 in pool play, before downing Twin Centre, 3-1 in the semifinals. Kocsis, Chipchase and Stevenson, potting pucks.

Up next for these Blazers is the OWHA U11C provincial championship, April 12-14 in Mississauga.