The Kootenay Wild snap winless skid by stopping Vancouver Island Seals

By Nelson Daily Sports

Some would call it an upset.

The Kootenay Wild call is a hard-fought victory.

The Interior squad scored a 2-1 BC Hockey Female AAA League victory over the Vancouver Island Seals Saturday in Campbell River.

The victory, the second of the season as Kootenay defeated Banff Academy during the exhibition season, was the first league win of the season for the Wild, snapping a six-game losing streak.

Catalina Hartland of Kaslo was solid between the pipes for the Wild as the veteran backstop rode the goal scoring of Emma Wheeldon of Nelson to the victory.

Kootenay opened the three-game Island road trip dropping a narrow 3-2 loss to Vancouver Island.

A third-period goal by Brittney Savard snapped a 2-2 tie allowing the hosts to win the game.

Wheeldon and Kendra Waterstreet of Fruitvale scored for the Wild.

In the final game of the series, Vancouver Island shutout the Wild 4-0.

Hartland and Kaitlyn Daly of Coquitlam shared the netminding duties for Kootenay.

The Wild, 1-7-1 on the season, return to action November 13 in Coquitlam against the Greater Vancouver Comets.

The FMAAA program was initiated in the 2007-2008 season in response to the membership’s desire to provide an opportunity for elite female hockey players to come together on zone teams to challenge other elite female Midget teams. The league has had nearly 100 players move on to post-secondary hockey opportunities.

The Kootenay Wild is one of six teams in the BC Hockey FMAAA.

The team consists of players from Nelson, Fruitvale, Rossland, Trail, Castlegar, Kimberley, Cranbrook, Grand Forks, Kaslo and Coquitlam.