Ste. Anne goalie savours golden moment from U18 world championship

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This article was published 14/01/2019 (1927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Raygan Kirk, nothing quite matches the thrill of winning a world championship and joining your teammates in a massive on-ice celebration scrum.

On Sunday in Obihiro, Japan, the 17-year-old goaltender from Ste. Anne got to experience just that after Maddie Wheeler scored the game-winning goal 1:34 into overtime to lift Canada to a 3-2 victory over the United States in the gold medal game at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

The medal was Canada’s fifth gold at U18 worlds and its first since 2014.

“I was on the top, luckily,” said Kirk of the Canadian victory pile-up after being greeted by a group of well-wishers, including her grandmother Lilian Vinet, at James Richardson International Airport Tuesday morning.

“Somebody cut their chin and their finger I think, but it was all worth it. You don’t really feel it in that moment.”

Playing in a world championship final and beating the Americans, Canada’s biggest hockey rival, was particularly sweet.

“I was definitely nervous, everybody was,” said Kirk, the lone Manitoban on the squad. “You just use it to fuel the fire, I guess, and the pride and just to represent your country and play your best. That’s all the coaches can ask of you is you play with a gold-medal attitude.”

Kirk, who will also suit up for Manitoba’s under-18 team at the upcoming Canada Winter Games, stopped 25 of 27 shots in the final and was named the tournament’s MVP after posting a 2.08 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage in four games.

“It definitely has been (a great experience),” said Kirk. “The group we have clicked so well. In the summer we were good and just seeing everyone in Vancouver, it wasn’t awkward or anything. It was right back where we started. It was just a great group on and off the ice.

Kirk, who usually plays for the Eastman Selects of the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League, spent the last three weeks with Team Canada, including a pre-tournament training camp in Vancouver before heading to Japan for the worlds. She also spent two weeks in summer at a Canadian evaluation camp.

Mahika Sarrazin of Gatineau, Que., started Canada’s first game in the tournament, a 2-1 win over Sweden, before Kirk took over as Team Canada’s starting goaltender, playing the final four games, including a 4-3 win in overtime over Russia in the semifinals.

Kirk was also in net for Canada’s 3-2 loss to the U.S. and a 5-1 win over Russia during round-robin play. Canada’s third goaltender, Maddie Beck of Lunenburg, N.S., did not see any game action.

“We were all pretty equal, we’re all in the same boat,” said Kirk. “We had all worked really hard to get where we were, just like the rest of the girls on the team, so when I got the nod to go in net I tried my best and gave it my all.”

Kirk’s starring role in Japan didn’t surprise Eastman coach Bill Bram, whose daughters Bailey and Shelby have both played for Canada at the international level.

“You know what? She’s worked hard,” Bill Bram. “We had a meeting last night with the team and I told them, ‘Ray’s an example of what hard work will bring you.’ She’s busted her butt. For three years she’s done all the right things — training, eating properly, just on the right course… Good parents. Just an all-round good kid.”

Kirk’s rapid progress hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Last season, she accepted a scholarship to play NCAA Division I hockey at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh starting with the 2019-20 season. Before that, she’ll play for Manitoba at the Canada Winter Game in Red Deer, Alta., Feb. 24-March 2 and complete Grade 12 at Lorette Collegiate.

“She’s a very good goalie — I don’t think we’ve heard the last of her,” added Bram. “She’s dedicated. My daughter (Bailey, who played for Canada at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea) has kinda mentored her the last year about what to expect and all the ins and outs. It’s exciting, not just for Manitoba, but for Ste. Anne and the whole team. We’re very proud of her.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14