Newmarket hockey player Lucy Terzievski got a chance to be part of a massive winning run in minor women’s hockey this season.
The 14-year-old of the North York Storm U18 AA helped her team excel throughout the season. Emerging as the top team in the league and at provincials, they got the right to compete nationally at the Esso Cup April 21 to 28, where they fell just short in the final game, 2-1 versus Regina April 28.
“Even though we didn’t fully come back, it was still a great experience for all the girls,” she said. “It was about leaving everything you had on the ice.”
Terzievski is celebrating after the successful season. Playing right defence, she had six points in 21 games for the team, helping them to a strong regular season record of 17-2-2.
The team followed that up by a run through league, provincial and national championships that would see her and her team well-decorated by the end. This came with the team being among the youngest on average — with an average age of 14.86 — to compete at the national Esso Cup.
“It was amazing,” Terzievski said. “We held our own, and we had a great week.”
She has competed in the sport since she was eight, previously being a competitive figure skater with the Newmarket Skating Club. She said she was motivated to take on the sport because of her father’s love for it, and found her own love for it, too.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve just had that kind of passion for it,” she said. “A big part of who I am is being able to compete. Being able to go out there and play a sport at this level.”
Dan Terzievski, Lucy’s father, was the team manager and said it was astounding what the team achieved. He noted the team was very young, with 10 members technically in a position to be playing down a division.
“It was quite a proud moment for a father, for all the parents that were involved,” he said.
He said he did not get a chance to play hockey as a younger kid himself, but still had a passion for it that he wanted to pass on if he could.
“We gave her that opportunity,” he said. “I was very excited that she grew a passion for it … It’s great to see that she’s achieving that dream.”
The team’s run began with a league championship, followed by a title run in the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. They went undefeated in the association playoffs, earning them the right to represent Ontario at the Esso Cup in Vernon, British Columbia.
They went on to have a strong run there in the six-team tournament. They made it to the semifinals, beating Edmonton Junior Oilers 4-1 before ultimately falling to the Regina Rebels 2-1.
“It was crazy getting up in the morning and getting there in the rink,” Terzievski said about playing that final game. “We had to really step it up, and I could see that these girls, they tried their hardest … And even though we struggled against Regina, and we got scored on, we never lost spirit. It was all about being positive.”
The young hockey player will be going on to to play in Brampton U18AA and hopes to continue competing and improving. She said she wants to eventually play hockey at the university level and potentially play for Team Canada.
“I’d like to say I represented my country, and I was able to make them proud,” she said.
