Amherstburg player part of tournament winning team in Nashville

The Southpoint Stars U18 girls hockey team features an Amherstburg player - Aria Pare - and the team won a recent “Smashville” showcase tournament in Nashville. The team gathers for a group shot here.

A “Smashville” hockey tournament in Tennessee saw a team from the region win it all.

The Southpoint Stars U18 girls hockey team competed in the Smashville Girls Hockey Showcase earlier this month in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The girls competed in the U19AA division and won the championship, with the players and coaches getting cowboy hats for prizes and the trophy being a guitar.

The team featured a player from Amherstburg – Aria Pare – and she said they battled significant challenges but still got the tournament win.

“We played really good and hard. We fought through a lot of hard things,” said Pare.

Pare holds the championship guitar while wearing her championship hat.

Pare said they weren’t expecting to win the tournament championship, noting it was a showcase tournament. She believes it was the team’s biggest win to date.

The team, coached by Diane Peters, played well, Pare added.

“We have a good team. We came together very well,” she said. “That was a big tournament. We just played really well.”

Stars coach Diane Peters said they trailed 2-0 in the championship game but came back to tie the game and eventually win it 4-2.

“They were amazing,” she said of her team. “They gave everything they had.”

The Stars are a young team and they play well as a unit.

“They’ve come together so well,” said Peters. “It’s pretty amazing to watch them. They’ve come together so quickly. It’s amazing.”

The Stars weren’t expecting to go so far in the tournament, but Peters said they wanted to win it all once they got to the semi-finals and finals.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to be in the championship game and take the championship,” said Peters. “They all showed up for the entire weekend.”    Southpoint played six games in total and won four of them. 

They overcame several challenges, including having players battle illness and injury, but they got what Peters said was their biggest win of the season so far.

“We were playing teams with players that are 20-years-old,” said Peters. “We’re only 15, 16. It’s a huge accomplishment.”

Future goals include improving their place in their league standings and to play well in upcoming tournaments.

“Our goal is to be number one in our division by the new year,” said Peters. “Our season is going really well. The players have been really good so far. The girls have been doing the work. That’s the biggest thing.”

Amherstburg player part of tournament winning team in Nashville

By Ron Giofu