THE success brought about by the Thunder Bay Queens girls rep program continues to produce dividends.
Current Sportop midget AA Queens netminder Amanda Makela and former team forward Brittany Zuback, who now skates for the Kitchener-Waterloo Rangers of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League, have both been selected to compete on the Ontario roster that will take part at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, N.S.
The pair of Canadian national under-18 team members are among 20 individuals that were named to the provincial squad last week.
The entire games run Feb. 11-27 while the women’s hockey competition is scheduled for the final week of the event.
FINALLY: Starting out a hockey program from scratch is never easy and you tend to take your lumps along the way.
Such is the case for Concordia University in Wisconsin, who is coached by Thunder Bay native Tony Hrkac.
Having yet to see its first group of seniors’ wrap-up their collegiate careers and featuring a squad of 17 underclassmen the CUW Falcons recently put an end to the longest active winless streak in all of NCAA hockey at 37 games.
The lengthy drought came to a close on Nov. 13 as Hrkac saw his Concordia side upend Finlandia 3-1 in Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association play in Hancock, Mich.
The Falcons, having went 0-31-6 during that span, last victory prior to that came on Feb. 9, 2009.
HIGH FLYING AERO: After a bit of a slow start, Schreiber’s Jenna McParland is now soaring for the Toronto Aeros of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League.
The 18-year-old forward who deferred enrolment at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on scholarship for another season of development is currently riding a six-game point streak helping her side win each of those contests.
McParland has racked up 15 points during her run including eight goals. She has now taken over the Aeros team scoring lead while also moving into ninth spot in PWHL scoring.
BULLDOG BITES: Travis Oleksuk scored his NCAA-leading fifth game-winning goal with 11 seconds remaining in overtime Friday helping No. 1 ranked Minnesota-Duluth get by Wisconsin 6-5.
It was part of a three-point performance for Oleksuk that included a pair of markers for the Bulldogs that aided in a weekend sweep of the Badgers.
Meanwhile, a night after getting upset by Ohio State at home, Haley Irwin and the rest of her Lady Bulldogs responded in a big way blasting the Buckeyes 8-0 Saturday.
Irwin paced the UMD attack firing a hat-trick and chipping in with three assists for a six-point game.
The junior forward is now second in overall point production among women in the NCAA trailing only fellow Canadian National team member Meghan Agosta who is at Mercyhurst College.
FIRST ALTERNATE: The Team Ontario roster for the upcoming world under-17 hockey challenge was announced this past week and although no one from the region was selected to the squad one area prospect will be on standby.
Thunder Bay’s Matthew Murray was named the alternate goaltender for the provincial U-17 squad that will compete at the international event Dec. 29 through Jan. 4 in Winnipeg.
Murray is in his rookie season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. In seven appearances so far this season he has a 2-2-1 record.
All but one on the 22-player roster competes in the OHL with the only exception being netminder Daniel Altshuller who is a member of the Nepean Raiders of the Central Jr. Hockey League.