The 2011-2012 season came to disappointing end for the Burlington Jr. Barracudas as they fell 4-3 in overtime to the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs in the Provincial Championships.  Burlington deserved a better fate in this game as they held the play for the majority of the game however a slow start and a bad bounce in the dying seconds resulted in a 3-3 tie after regulation.  Mississauga won it with a perfectly placed shot from the point to take the Bronze Medal.  

After Mississauga went up 1-0 on a goal mouth scramble, Karly Zammit, playing D, picked up the puck in the neutral zone and led a 2 on 1 rush into the Missy end.  Using Christine Grant as a decoy, Karly sniped a post-post-in goal to tie the score at 1.  A few minutes later, Renata Fast controlled the puck deep in the Mississauga end and then found Mellissa Channell coming in from the point.  Channell's hard one-timer found the corner, putting Burlington up 2-1.

Burlington took a 3-1 lead early in the third when Renata's shot from the point deflected off a Missy defenseman into the ocrner.  That 2 goal lead was short lived as after a failed attempt to clear the puck, Mississauga's Capizano drilled a shot to the top corner to cut the lead to one.  The score held up until the final minute miscue that sent the game to Overtime.

Burlington reached the Bronze Medal game after falling 2-0 to the Toronto Aeroes in a very tight, well played game.

In other games, Burlington defeated Kitchener and Brampton in Round Robin games and then Oakville and London in elimination games leading up to the semis.

Congratulations Burlington on a successful tournament and a very successful season.  You made your families and the Organization very proud. 

In a disappointing turn of events, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas were eliminated from the PWHL Playoffs, losing three straight games to the Mississauga Chiefs.  Burlington lost games 1 and 2 by 1 goal margins, losing forst 3-2 in OT and then 4-3 in game 2.  Mississauga completed the sweep with a 3-1 victory against an uninspired Burlington squad.

 Burlington has a few weeks off before completing the 2011/2012 season at the Provincial tournament, April 13-15 in Mississauga. 

After disposing of the Cambridge Fury in three games, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas will face off against the Mississauga Chiefs in the second round of the PWHL playoffs.  The winner of the best of 5 series will advance to the 2012 Final Four at UOIT at the end of March.

Game 1 of the series will take place at Mainway arena on Friday March 16th at 7:00 pm while Game 2 will also be played at Mainway on Sunday March 18th at 5:30 pm. 

 Good Luck girls!! 

The entire Burlington Jr. Barracuda organization would like to congratulate team captain Emily Janiga on being the first ever Burlington player to lead the PWHL in scoring.  Janiga finished the year with 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points, finishing two points ahead of Toronto Aeros Laura Stacey.  It was a pleasure to watch you earn this award throughout the season.  Well Done!!!

The team would also like to congratulate goalie Kierra Lambertucci for finishing the season with a 1.44 GAA, earning her runner-up status in the goaltending race behind Toronto's Taylor Hough.

 Congratulations girls!!!  Lets make some noise in the play-offs. 

By capturing three of four points over the weekend, the Burlington Barracudas were able to move up one place in the standings, finishing fifth overall at the end of regular season play.  On Saturday, Burlington defeated Ottawa 3-2, outshooting them by a wide 44-21 margin.  Emily Janiga led the way with 2 goals and one assist, while Taylor Accursi added a single.  Kasia Henley continued her confident play stopping 19 of 21 shots.

On Sunday, knowing that points were needed to stay with the pack, Burlington struggled offensively against 14th place Nepean and needed a goal mouth scramble goal with the net empty and only 14 seconds remaining on the clock by Hayley Scamurra to secure the tie.  Emily Janiga scored the other Burlington goal and Kierra Lambertucci earned the tie.

Burlington faces Cambridge in the opening round of the playoffs with the first game scheduled for Thursday March 1st at 7:00 pm at Mainway.  Burlington defeated the Fury in the two games that they played agaic=st them during the year. 

Washington, DC:  The Burlington Jr. Barracudas completed an impressive display of teamwork, effort and talent, defeating top US team North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) Winter Hawks 3-2 in the championship game to capture the Gold Medal at this prestigious U19 JWHL Challenge Cup.

The JWHL is the top league in the US for U19 (Int AA) players and is comparable in quality to our PWHL.  In this tournament's unique format, Burlington went 4-1 in Round Robin play against all of the teams in the JWHL East division, earning top spot in their division and a chance to play for Gold.   To capture first place, Burlington defeated National Sports Academy (Lake Placid NY) 2-1, Colorado Selects 6-0, Washington Pride 4-0, and Boston Shamrocks 3-2.  Their only defeat in RR play came at the hands of NAHA who thumped the Cudas 6-1.

By finishing first in RR play, Burlington advanced to the semi-finals against Balmoral Hall (Winnipeg, MA) and defeated them 2-1.  Balmoral plays out of the JWHL's West division and is in first place in their division.

The final featured two teams that were playing their 7th full game in 4 days.  Needless to say, all the players needed to dig deep to find the energy required and Burlington seemed to have the upper hand.  NAHA opened the scoring in the first period but Burlington stormed back with 3 goals to go up 3-1.  NAHA cut the lead to one with a third period score but Burlington was able to hold off for the win.

Notes:

- Burlington received superb goaltending from both Kasia Henley who allowed only 1 goal against in her three games played and from Kierra Lambertucci who shut the door on both Balmoral and NAHA in the playoff round.

- Scoring was incredibly balanced all weekend with every Burlington skater contributing at least one point and 10 of the fifteen players scoring at least one goal.  Anissa led the team with 8 points while Emily Janiga contributed 7 points.

- Burlington's Power Play played a huge role in their win as 2 of the 3 goals in the final came with a man-advantage and overall they fired at an impressive 25% rate.

- This tournament win represents Burlington's second major US tournament win, having previously come out on top in the Canada-US Cup in Detroit in November.  Ironically, they also defeated NAHA in the final in that tournament after losing handily to them in the Round Robin.

The schedule for the JWHL Challenge Cup has been posted.  View the tournament website link above or go to the Calendar page to view from our site.

Go get them girls, show the hockey world who's boss. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas completed a very successful weekend, capturing the Gold Medal in the Can-AM tournament series in Detroit, defeating powerhouse NAHA 4-1 in the finals

Anissa Gamble potted two goals for the Cudas in the championship game with Emily Janiga and Olivia Whitford adding singles.  Kierra Lambertucci was solid in goal, stopping 29 of the 30 shots she faced.

Burlington came out very strong from the opening whistle outshooting NAHA 6-1.  Gamble showed flashes of her great speed and powerful shot on her first two shifts of the game but it was NAHA that opened the scoring midway through the period.  The momentum switched as NAHA held a wide territorial advantage, but as it is in Bizarro world, it was Burlington that capitalized.  Olivia Whitford tied the game on a Power Play with a wrist shot to the short side, taking advantage of Hayley Scamurra's perfect screen in front.  Emily Janiga then capitalized on the generous parting of the (NAHA) White D to go five hole for the lead and the Cudas never looked back.  Gamble then scored her two goals, the last being an empty netter to seal the deal.

To get to the finals, the Cudas went 3 and 1 in Round Robin play, defeating Little Caesars 3-1, Chicago Mission 2-0 and Buffalo Bisons 4-2.  Burlington opened the tournament with a 4-1 loss to the same NAHA team.

Against Caesars, Katie Hubert led the way with 2 goals while Michele Quick added a single.  Newly acquired goalie Kasia Henley took the win with a solid 19 save performance.  Against Chicago Mission, Hubert opened the scoring with a howitzer from just inside the blueline while Janiga closed the door with a nifty deke on a breakaway late in the third.  Lambertucci earned the shutout.  Against Buffalo, Janiga netted 2 goals and an assist with Gamble and Whitford adding singles.  Henley took the win stopping 8 of the 10 shots she faced.

WELL DONE CUDAS!!! 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas made it to the finals of the Nepean Jr. Wildcats University Showcase tournament before losing 3-2 to the Aurora Panthers.

 Burlington badly outshot Aurora, 35 - 19 in the final but took too many penalties, which ultimately cost them the game.  Burlington took 10 minor penalties and Aurora scored all three of their goals with the man advantage.

 Next action is Tuesday October 11th when Burlington visits the KW Rangers in Kitchener.

 Notes:

- Goalie Kierra Lambertucci recorded three shutouts in her games played, stopping all  61 shots she faced.

- Burlington received balanced scoring throughout the weekend as 13 different players recorded points.

- Kudos to team captain Emily Janiga for making the 6+ hour drive to be in Ottawa in time for the semis on Sunday morning. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas would like to extend congratulations to new teammate Mellissa Channell on her selection to the 2011/2012 Team Canada U18 team.  Mellissa will join her 21 teammates in a three game series against the US U18 team August 18th to 21st in Rockland Ontario, just east of Ottawa at Hockey Canada's training centre.

Congratulations Mellissa and have fun. 

Hockey Canada today announced the 49 players invited to the U18 Strength and Conditioning camp and two Burlington Jr. Barracudas were on the list.

Defencemen Olivia Whitford and Mellissa Channel both received invitations although Channell will not be able to attend.

The camp, which is being held at McMaster University in Hamilton the week of May 25th to the 29th is the first step in the selection of the National team that will represent Canada at the 2012 Workd Championships.

Congratulations to both players and the best of luck to Olivia at the camp. 

Congratulations to all of the members of the Burlington Jr. Barracudas for the completion of a banner turn-around year.  As the 2010/2011 season concludes special mention goes out to the following graduating players as they continue their hockey careers at the next level.

 Katie Fergus D1 Robert Morris University

Brianna Leahy D1 Princeton University

April Looije CIS University of Toronto 

Margaret Lockyer CIS University of P.E.I. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas finished their PWHL season on a down note, losing both games in the PWHL Championship weekend to finish fourth.  In the semi-final match against Mississauga, the Barracudas fell 3-1 to the first place Chiefs.  Both teams played uninspired hockey for the majority of the game, resulting in very few scoring chances.  Mississauga opened the scoring in the second and added a second goal midway through the third to go up 2-0. Burlington's Olivia Whitford scored with 4 minutes left to breathe some life into the game but were unable to get any closer as Mississauga added an empty netter to close out the scoring.

In the Bronze medal game against Bluewater, Burlington was unable to put together a sustained team attack, falling 4-2 to the second place Hawks.  Although Burlington outshot Bluewater 34-16, the majority of shots were from outside which the Bluewater keeper was able to stop without too much difficulty.  Nicole Connery and Katie Fergus scored the Burlington goals.

Provincial weekend is the next game action for Burlington as the season has neared its conclusion.  

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the Kitchener Jr Rangers 3-0 in game 4 of their quarter final series to advance to the PWHL Championship Weekend next weekend at the University of Western Ontario.

Emily Janiga led the way with 2 goals, including an empty netter and Melissa Goodwin added a single as the Barracudas defeated Kitchener 3 games to 1 in the best of 5 series.  Kierra Lambertucci was perfect in net, stopping all 24 shots in earning the shutout victory.

Kitchener forced a game 4 by defeating Burlington 3-1 on Wednesday evening.

Notes:

- Burlington faces league leader Mississauga in the first semi-final on Saturday at 11:00 AM, while number 2 ranked Bluewater will play number 3 Toronto in the other semi immediately following the completion of the Burlington match.  Winners will play for Gold while the losers of the semis will battle for the Bronze medal on Sunday.

- Congratulations Burlington, that is a great accomplishment 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas needed a last second goal and then overtime to defeat the Kitchener Waterloo Jr. Rangers 3-2 to take a commanding 2 games to nothing lead in PWHL quarter final action Saturday evening at Appleby Arena.

In a game completely controlled by Burlington on the ice, it took a scramble goal in front by Katie Fergus, her second of the game, with 2.7 seconds left on the clock to send the game to Overtime.  Just 19 seconds earlier, KW scored what they thought was the game winner on a loose puck scramble in front of Burlington keeper Kierra Lambertucci.  In overtime, Burlington's Nicole Connery scored the winner at the 7:28 mark on another rebound goal, her 5th of the playoffs to secure the match for Burlington.

Notes:

- Burlington took control of the game around the midway mark of the first period after a slow start and outshot KW 41-25.

- Burlington had 3 goals called back in the game one by a high stick and the other 2 by the refs determination that the net was dislodged before the puck went in.  How it came dislodged is another story for another day.

- Due to a last minute ice change ordered by the City of Burlington to accomodate the Burlington Eagles OMHA finals, the game was switched from Central to Appleby.  Both teams were left scrambling as the call came in to the Burlington manager at 5:45 pm.  Everyone made it and the game was able to start as scheduled.

- Game 3 is Sunday afternoon in Kitchener. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas took a one game to nothing lead in their quarter final PWHL playoff series against the Kitchener Waterloo Jr. Rangers with a 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday evening at Appleby Arena.

Melissa Goodwin picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and blasted a rising slap shot over the KW goalie at 5:09 into overtime to earn the victory for Burlington, who outshot Kitchener 27 to 14.  Renata Fast scored the other Burlington goal, also on a long shot from the point, while Emily Robinson stopped 13 of the 14 shots that she faced for the win. 

Notes:

- Game 2 of the series is set for 7:00 pm Saturday evening at Central Arena. 

- This was the first time in a very long time that Burlington had it's entire roster present.  Before the celebrations get out of hand however, that streak will end on Saturday night. 

The Burlington Jr Barracudas disposed of the Southwest Wildcats in an efficient manner by defeating them 4-0 to sweep the first round series 3 games to none.  Burlington goal scorers were Nicole Connery with 2 and Katie Hubert and Emma Pearson with singles.  Kierra Lambertucci earned the shutout stopping all 23 shots that she faced.

Burlington faces Kitchener in second round action with game 1 scheduled for 7:30 pm, Wednesday March 16th at Appleby Arena.  The winner in the best of 5 series advances to the PWHL Championship weekend in London at the end of the month.  

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas took a 2 games to nothing lead against the Southwest Wildcats in the opening round of the PWHL play-offs this past weekend, winning 4-2 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

In the opener, Burlington opened the scoring early when converted forward, Margaret Lockyer followed her own shot to the net with a heads up play resulting in a juicy rebound goal at the 1:48 mark of the first.  Burlington made it 2-0 on a great tic-tac-toe passing play as Emma Pearson fired a cross ice pass to Brianna Leahy who then rifled it cross crease to Nicole Connery who found the twine from a tight angle.  

Perhaps thinking that it was too easy, Burlington then let up, allowing Southwest to score two quick goals in the second to tie the score at 2-2.  But late in the second, calm was restored when Olivia Whitford regained the lead for Burlington with a hard, low shot that the Southwest keeper re-directed into the top of her net for the 3-2 lead.  Burlington added their fourth goal when Meagun Nunn followed Melissa Goodwin's great shorthanded rush by jamming a rebound past the Southwest keeper for the 4-2 final score.

On Sunday, Southwest came out hard early and took a quick 1-0 lead on a loose puck in front of keeper Emily Robinson.  Burlington rebounded later in the period when Jaclyn Conacher netted her first of 2 on a cross ice feed from Nicole Connery.  Early in the second, Conacher scored her second, converting a great feed from Connery who, after chipping the puck past a Southwest defender, hesitated long enough to find an open passing lane before setting Conacher up with the wide open net.  Connery then iced the game with a shorthanded breakaway goal late in the third to secure the 3-1 victory.

Notes:

- Kierra Lambertucci stopped 24 of 26 shoyts in the first game, while Robinson stopped 17 of 18 in the second.

- Of the 7 goals that Burlington scored, 3 came shorthanded , 2 came on the powerplay and 2 came at even strength.

- Game 3 is Saturday March 12th at 5:00 pm in Windsor with games 4 and 5 coming Sunday and Monday if necessary. 

In the past weekend's action the Burlington Jr. Barracudas earned identical 2-1 victories in what were not so identical games in terms of pace of play and officiating.  

DR. JECKYL:  Against Aurora on Saturday, Emily Janiga scored both Burlington goals while Emily Robinson made 20 saves for the victory.  The game was very rough, bordering on dirty with both teams engaging in physical extremely play.  The refereeing was once again confusing as penalties were called for routine hockey plays while obvious penalties were either ignored or were not recognized as baing as dangerous as they were.  The official handling the game appeared to be unaware of what was going on on the ice and at times was even unsure as to what the proper rules were to be applied.  As was the case in the last time that this official called the game, there seemed to be a preferred call of the day.  Last game it was "Checking From Behind" and in this game it was "Butt-Ending", with both games resulting in multiple calls against both teams being made for these infractions.  In the 10 odd years that I have watched girls hockey, I have yet to see a single butt-ending penalty called but lucky us, we got 2 in the same game.  The referee signalled a tying goal for Aurora with 4 seconds remaining (from the half-boards I might add) only to later overturn it after conferring with the linesmen.  Apparently seeing Emily pull the puck out from her between her knee and her pad was enough evidence to make her realize that she didn't actually see the puck enter the net, despite her previous confident signal of a goal.  Oh well, the right call was made in the end, which is all that counts.

MR. HYDE:  Against Ottawa on Sunday, the fans and players were treated to a very entertaining game by both teams that was refereed to perfection by the entire refereeing crew.  This official allowed the play to occur and as a result the pace and flow was as good as any game that the girls have been involved in this year.  On numerous occasions, the referee was overheard communicating to both benches and was firm and direct with his instructions and calls on the ice.  It was a pleasure to watch.  Katie Hubert opened the scoring in the second, slamming home a nice feed from Jaclyn Conacher from behind the net.  Katie Fergus took advantage of a sleeping Ottawa defense to rifle a wrist shot past the Ottawa keeper and off the post and in.  Ottawa made it close, getting a powerplay goal midway through the third off of a deflected shot from the point.  Kierra Lambertucci made a couple of late saves to secure the victory.

Notes:  

- Against Ottawa, Kierra made a brilliant poke check in the second to prevent a sure Ottawa goal.

- All three lines were skating and working well but special marks to Meagan Nunn who played, in my opinion, her best game since joining the team.  She was all over the ice and had numerous scoring chances.  She was also extremely effective on the penalty kill throughout the entire game.  Well done Meagan!

- Regular Season is winding down and Burlington finds themselves in 5th place, 1 point out of 4th.  These two wins allowed them to separate themselves from 6th place Ottawa. 

First Half Summary

OVERALL RECORD:   27 - 11 - 4

Regular Season Record:   13 - 7 - 2

Tournament Record:   9 - 3 - 2

Scoring Leaders Overall Stats   GP G A PTS

Emily Janiga 38 22 20 42

Nicole Connery 39 22 19 41

Katie Fergus 40   8 29 37

Jaclyn Conacher 42 13 20 33

Katie Hubert 41 14 12 26

Goaltender Stats GP W L T GAA SV%

Emily Robinson 26 16 4 4 2.01 .919

Kierra Lambertucci   20 11 7 0 2.46 .916

The Burlington Junior Barracudas split a pair of weekend games, defeating Southwest Wildcats 3-0 on Saturday before being thumped 5-1 by Bluewater on Sunday.

Against Southwest, Nicole Connery led the way with 1 goal and 2 assists with Jaclyn Conacher and Katie Hubert adding the other goals.  Kierra Lambertucci was perfect in net, stopping all 13 shots she faced.

Against Bluewater, it was a fairly even game until the third as both teams were able to hit the back of the net in the first two periods.  Bluewater blew it open. scoring 4 goals in the third on their way to the victory.  Nicole Connery scored the lone Burlington goal with assists from linemates Jaclyn Conacher and Katie Hubert.  Emily Robinson took the loss, allowing the 5 goals on 28 shots.

Next action is Friday night, home to Kitchener-Waterloo. 

The successful run for the Burlington Jr. Barracudas came to an end Saturday evening as they were defeated 4-2 by the Chicage Mission in quarterfinal action at the Rochester Nike Bauer Invitational.

Burlington had completed the round robin portion undefeated but those wins meant nothing as they faced a very fired up and determined Mission squad.  Chicago came out of the gates like a Sam-Son Farms filly, catching the Cudas flat-footed for the first 10 minutes resulting in a 2-0 early lead.  Burlington was able to recover and matched Chicago's speed for the rest of the gameh but were unable to overcome that early 2 goal lead.  Melissa Goodwin and Jaclyn Conacher scored for Burlington with assists going to Nicole Connery and Caitlin Gilligan.  Emily Robinson faced 32 shots in taking the loss.

Notes:

- Congrats to the Brampton Jr. Thunder who defeated Markham Stouffville 2-0 in the final for the tournament gold.

- This game marked the first loss of the season for Emily.  She had previously gone 12 games without a loss (11 wins and 1 tie).

- Next action is Tuesday night as the Jr's travel to Stoney Creek to face the Sabres in league action. 

In their third round robin game of the Rochester Nike Bauer tournament, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the Sudbury Lady Wolves 4-1 to go undefeated and advance to the quarter finals.  Melissa Goodwin led the way with 2 goals and 1 assist while Renata Fast and Nicole Connery added singles.  Emily Robinson faced 12 shots in her winning effort.

Notes:

- Burlington will face undefeated Chicago Mission at 8:30 in their quarter final matchup.

- Due to penalty troubles and an ill advised "F-Bomb", the Cudas played almost an entire period with only 4 players on the bench.  They will have 2 returning players for their game tonight.

Nicole Connery scored 3 goals and added 2 assists as the Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the St. Louis Lady Blue 6-0 in their second round robin game of the Rochester Nike Bauer tournament.  Katie Hubert added 2 goals and 2 assists in the one sided match.  Melissa Goodwin scored the other Barracudas goal to go along with one helper and Jaclyn Conacher with 3 assists and Emma Pearson with one rounded out the offensive attack.

Emily Robinson was perfect in the nets stoping all 13 shots she faced, including 2 back to back breakaways in the first period.

Notes:

- Rough estimate of shots was 40-13 for Burlington.

- Burlington took the last 5 penalties of the game but managed to score 2 shorthanded goals

The Burlington Jr Barracudas opened the Rochester Nike Bauer Tournament with a 5-3 victory over the Alliance Bulldogs from Dallas Texas.  Jaclyn Conacher scored 2 for the Jrs with singles going to Katie Fergus, Renata Fast and Nicole Connery.  Katie Hubert with 2 assists and Fast, April Looije, Brianna Leahy and Melissa Goodwin with single helpers rounded out the scoring.  Emily Robinson stopped 20 of 23 shots for the win.

Notes:

- Burlington played with only 12 skaters and will be down to 11 for their second game

- Next game is 5:55 pm vs St. Louis Lady Blues  

Behind the strength of Emily Robinson's perfect 22 save performance, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the visiting Stoney Creek Sabres 2-0 Friday night at Mainway arena.

Burlington's defence provided all the offence as April Looije opened the scoring in the second, banging home a Katie Fergus rebound off the end boards for a power play marker.  Olivia Whitford added an insurance goal in the third, bouncing a slap shot in off of a Stoney Creek defender.  Katie Hubert and Nicole Connery assisted on the goal as Burlington improved their league record to 6-2-1, good for third place.

Notes:  - With the shutout, Emily Robinson lowered her GAA to a paltry 0.80, good for second best in the league.

- Burlington's special teams are fairing quite well.  Their penalty killing at 94% is good for third best in the league while their powerplay is a respectable 8th at 12.96%.

- Next action is this weekend in the Rochester Tournament. 

The Burlington Junior Barracudas split a pair of weekend games, winning Saturday 3-1 in London and losing Sunday at home to Brampton 4-1.

Against London on Saturday in tiny Argyle Arens, London opened the scoring early in the second period wih a power play goal only to have Burlington quickly answer as Katie Hubert finishes off a nice feed from Emily Janiga on a 2 on 1.  Burlington put their special teams to work in third getting a nice power play goal from Renata Fast and then a shorthanded marker from Melissa Goodwin to round out the scoring at 3-1.  Emily Robinson made 28 of 29 saves for the win.

At home Sunday against Brampton, Burlington played sluggish, uninspired hockey in falling to Brampton 4-1.  Brianna Leahy scored the lone Burlington goal on a power play midway through the second period.  Kierra Lambertucci made 26 saves in taking the loss.

Notes:

- In both contests, Burlington was missing three regulars due to injury/illness.  Callups Kristen Gilmour (both games) and Coco Sultana (Brampton, in her Junior debut) played well, filling in for the missing regulars.

- Burlington forward Emily Janiga went down in the third period against Brampton with a knee injury.  We all hope she is able to play on Friday against Stoney Creek.

The visiting Burlington Jr Barracudas defeated the Cambridge Fury 6-3 to improve their record to 4-1-1 in PWHL action Monday night in Cambridge.

Emily Janiga and Jaclyn Conacher led the attack with 2 goals each while Nicole Connery added a goal and 2 helpers.  Katie Hubert rounded out the scoring for the Cudas as the high powered offence provided more than enough to enable Kierra Lambertucci to earn the victory in the nets.  Lambertucci stopped 16 of the 19 shots she faced as the Barracudas outshot Cambridge 36-19 on the night.

Next action is Saturday afternoon in London followed by a rematch with Brampton Sunday afternoon.

NOTES:  

- In a change of pace, the two teams were treated to a well officiated game by the ref who had control of the ice all game.  She used her linesman and communicated weel with both benches, ensuring a high tempo game from start to finish.

- Burlington played with Midget call-up Kristen Gilmour on defence, replacing the suspended Emma Pearson.  Kristen looked right at home in the game. 

- Coach Jock Fairbairn also returned to action behind the gate ensuring back up for Coach Steve Gibson.

- Best Wishes go out to F Hayley Scamurra, still missing from the lineup due to illness.  Get well soon Hayley, you are missed.

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas and the Brampton Jr. Thunder played to a 1-1 tie in PWHL action Sunday afternoon at Century Gardens in Brampton.

In, what can only be described as, an "interesting" match, both teams battled each other and the officials in a game in which the outcome was appropriate, given what each team went through. The referee for the match decided that anything and everything was deserving of a penalty as she assessed 77 minutes in penalties, including 4 game ejections.  It is not often that a referee has everyone in the arena against her, but that is what happened in this match.  

Brampton opened the scoring late in the first period on a power play and Nicky Connery quickly tied the match up on a nice give and go with Brianne Leahy.  Both teams had a few chances to break the tie but steady goaltending from Emily Robinson and from the Brampton keeper kept the match tied.  Overtime was never allowed to occur as numerous delays, ranging from the Brampton timekeeper to the zamboni driver resulted in the game being curfewed.  Robinson stopped 25 of the 26 shots she faced in earning the draw.

Next action for Burlington is Monday night in Cambridge. 

Thanks to 2 goal production from Emily Janiga and call-up Devon Moir, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the visiting Bluewater Hawks 6-2 in PWHL regular season action Friday night at Mainway Arena.

Although this cub reporter was not at the game, from all reports it was a fast paced, high energy effort that produced the important 2 points for the home squad.  Katie Hubert opened the scoring early in the first on a power play marker from in tight and shortly after, AP Moir scored her first of two.  Janiga tallied midway through the second to give the Cuda's a large 4-0 lead before Bluewater found the net late in the second to make it 4-1.  After Bluewater cut the lead to 4-2 early in the third, Jaclyn Conacher scored on yet another breakaway to break the Hawks hearts.  Janiga added an empty netter late in the period to close the door on any comeback dreams, making the final 6-2.

Kierra Lambertucci was strong in net, turning back 27 of the Hawks 29 shots as the Barracudas improved to 3-1 in league play.  Next action is Sunday afternoon as the team visits the Brampton Jr. Thunder, 4:15pm at Century Gardens. 

Thanks to one goal and two assist performances from both Katie Fergus and Renata Fast, the Burlington Jr. Barracudas defeated the visiting Oakville Jr. Hornets 3-1 in their home opener Friday night at Mainway.

Emily Janiga added a goal and a helper and keeper Emily Robinson made 23 of 24 saves for the win.  Burlington improves their PWHL record to 2 wins against 1 defeat while Oakville remains winless in 4 starts.

Next action is  Friday October 15th at home to Bluewater as the PWHL enjoys the Thanksgiving weekend blackout.

The Mississauga Jr. Chiefs defeated the Burlington Jr. Barracudas 4-1 in league play Tuesday night at Iceland.  Burlington, after playing and travelling a fair bit on the weekend, played a listless game for the first two periods and fell behind 3-0 as a result.  They came out with a bit more zip after the flood and were able to get on the board after a nice mid-ice steal and breakaway by Nicki Connery narrowed the score to 3-1.  Burlington applied a few more shifts of pressure against Mississauga but were unable to do any more damage.  Mississauga closed out the scoring late in the period as the game ended 4-1.  Mississauga outshot Burlington 30-19 in the game and Kierra Lambertucci made 26 saves in the losing effort.

Burlington plays their next match 8:00 pm Friday night at Mainway against Oakville. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas swept a pair of exhibition games over the weekend, defeating the Chinese National Women'a team 6-4 on Saturday and the Queen's University Gaels 5-4 on Sunday.

Against China. Emily Janiga and Nicole Connery netted 2 apiece while Hayley Scamurra and Melissa Goodwin added singles in an entertaining, albeit long, game at the Vaughan Sports Village.  Special thanks to Team China for hosting a postgame meal for both teams.

 Against Queen's on Sunday, the Barracudas were outshot 48-23 but managed to come out on the good end of the 5-4 score.  Nicole added 2 more goals while singles went to Margaret Lockyer, Melissa Goodwin and Katie Fergus.

The two wins brings the teams overall record to 9 wins against 2 losses.  Next action is Tuesday night against the Mississauga Jr Chiefs at 8:15 pm at Iceland Arena in a Regular Season contest. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas started their 2010/2011 PWHL regular season off on a winning note, defeating the host Oakville Jr. Hornets 4-1 at Joshua Creek Arena Friday night.

 Katie Hubert opened the scoring firing a backhand past the Hornet keeper 3 minutes into the game.  Emily Janiga scored her first of two on the night early in the second.  Oakville broke Emily Robinson's shutout bid midwway throughthe third before Hayley Scamurra rounded out the scoring late in the period on a power play. 

Burlington outshot Oakville 20-13 in the penalty filled game.

The rest of the weekend is filled with exhibition games.  Saturday night against the Chinese Women's National Team and Sunday afternoon against Queen's University.

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas lost a tough 1-0 game to the Stoney Creek Sabres to bow out of the Stoney Creek tournament in the quarter finals.

The Juniors held a wide margin of play in the first period but were unable to get the puck past the Sabre's keeper.  Stoney Creek's only goal came late in the first period on a breakaway goal past Burlington keeper Kierra Lambertucci.  Burlington outshot Stoney 21-19 in the match and came within inches of tying the game in the dying seconds.  Full marks to Stoney for their effort.

Burlington made it to the quarters by defeating John Abbott 2-0 in their final Round Robin game and then by defeating Durham 3-0 in the round of 16.

All players should be commended for their hard work and for opening many people's eyes to the talent of this squad.  Special congrats to the keepers who only allowed the one single goal in 5 games.  That's quite an accomplishment for them and to the entire team for their solid defensive play.   

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas won both of their Friday matches to stand atop the C Division after the first day of play with a perfect 2-0 record.  

Burlington opened their tourney with a 3-0 victory powerhouse Little Caesars thanks to a 35 save shutout by Kierra Lambertucci.  Hayley Scamurra opened the scoring 1:21 seconds in with a quick release from that high slot that caught the LC goalie off guard.  Katie Hubert banged in a loose puck on a 2 on 1 with Cassie Albertine later in the first as the period ended 2-0.  After no scoring in the second, Caesars pulled their goalie late in the third and Emily Janiga intercepted a pass to skate in alone and clinch the game with an empty netter.  Caitlin Gilligan added an assist to round out the points for the Cuda's.

Burlington was full marks for the win although they were badly outshot in the contest 35-12.  High marks to the defence for keeping most of the action to the outside and making the majority of the saves easy for Lambertucci to see.  Kierra secured the shutout late in the game, robbing a Caesars shooter in tight.

 Burlington played their second game against Buffalo, coming away with another shutout victory, this time 1-0 behind the 10 save performance of Emily Robinson.  Buffalo who had defeated PW favourite Kitchener-Waterloo 2-0 in their opening match, were hoping for a similar outcome against Burlington and for a long time it looked as if they were going to pull it off.  Neither team played with much spark and the resulting hockey was sloppy and uninspiring.  Emma Pearson scored the only goal of the game on a 2 man advantage, rifling a shot to the far corner off a set up from Nicole Connery.

 Burlington rounds out their Round Robin action against 0-2 John Abbott on Saturday, before gearing up for elimination games later in the day. 

The Burlington Jr. Barracudas improved their preseason record to 2-1 with a 2-1 victory over the Cambridge Fury at Hespeler Arena Saturday afternoon.

Cudas opened the scoring in the first period on a point shot from #67 Olivia Whitford that found its way to the back of the net through lots of traffic in front.  They made it 2-0 on a nice 2 on 1 setup from #7 Brianna Leahy to a wide open #15 Jaclyn Conacher who easily beat the Fury keeper.

Cambridge cut the lead in half on a rebound off of a shorthanded breakaway late in the second and neither team were able to do any damage in the third, leaving the final score at 2-1.

#19 Emma Pearson added an assist and #61 Kierra Lambertucci stopped 11 of 12 shots for the win. 

For any Player Information, please contact

Dan Fergus

(519) 754-6909

dpfergus@silomail.com 

Hockey Canada announced today the 47 players invited to the strength and conditioning camp and two members of the 2011/2012 Burlington Jr. Barracudas received invites.

Defencemen Olivia Whitford and new team member Mellissa Channell were both invited although Channell will not be able to attend.

The camp, which is being held from May 25th to May 29th will take place at McMaster University and is the first steo in the selection of the National U18 team that will represent Canada at the 2012 World Championships,

Congratulations to both players for the invite and best of luck to Olivia at the camp. 

Hockey Canada today announced the 47 players invited to the U18 Strength and Conditioning camp and two Burlington Jr. Barracudas were on the list.

Defencemen Olivia Whitford and Mellissa Channel both received invitations although Channell will not be able to attend.

The camp, which is being held ay McMaster University in Hamilton the week of May 25th to the 29th is the first step in the selection of the National team that will represent Canada at the 2012 Workd Championships.

Congratulations to both players and the best of luck to Olivia at the camp. 

Hockey Canada today announced the 47 players invited to the U18 Strength and Conditioning camp and two Burlington Jr. Barracudas were on the list.

Defencemen Olivia Whitford and Mellissa Channel both received invitations although Channell will not be able to attend.

The camp, which is being held ay McMaster University in Hamilton the week of May 25th to the 29th is the first step in the selection of the National team that will represent Canada at the 2012 Workd Championships.

Congratulations to both players and the best of luck to Olivia at the camp.