Turnbull, Crossley form dynamic duo

Turnbull, Crossley form dynamic duo
Women’s hockey team’s success could fall on shoulders of U.S. prep-school stars
By GLENN MacDONALD Sports Reporter
Mon, Feb 7 – 7:02 AM

CALL THEM the dynamic duo of the Nova Scotia Canada Games women’s hockey team.

That’s because much of the host Bluenose squad’s success will fall squarely on the one-two punch of forward Blayre Turnbull of Stellarton and Dartmouth blue-liner Alexis Crossley.

And their coach says they’re ready for the challenge.

“They’re definitely the ones leading the way on the ice and off and they have looked great,” Nova Scotia head coach Lesley Jordan said.

“Blayre’s our captain and Crossley’s our assistant captain so they’re going to be a big part of everything for us.”

Crossley and Turnbull are teammates at the famed Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota. Turnbull leads the Shattuck prep team in scoring while Crossley is an anchor on the blue-line. Turnbull, a senior, signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team next fall. Crossley still has a year of eligibility remaining at Shattuck.

The pair even made it to the final selection camp for Canada’s national women’s under-18 team but neither made the cut. Jordan, however, said both Crossley and Turnbull “came back from the camp better players.”

“They learned a lot about the game and about themselves,” said Jordan, head coach of the Dalhousie Tigers women’s hockey program.

“It helps our team when they go to those national camps. They make everybody around them better. They’re good leaders that way.”

The rest of the team features Stefannie Moak, Halie MacDonald and Breanna Lanceleve of Middle Sackville, Danielle Eustace and Savannah Newton of Lower Sackville, Kayla Findlay and Erika Pyke of Halifax, Carly Gray of Williamswood, Joleen MacInnis of Whycocomagh, Julianne Bruce, Erin MacIsaac and Jordan MacKeigan of Dartmouth, Catherine Berghuis of Truro, Sarah MacNeil of Albert Bridge, Lisa MacLean of Inverness, Kara Power of New Glasgow, Sarah Robichaud of Weymouth and Jennifer MacAskill of Antigonish.

“We have a good mix of players,” Jordan said. “We have youth for some energy and we have some older players as well. There’s a bit of an age gap but we definitely have some high-end players who have great leadership skills.”

These Canada Games will be the second for Jordan behind the women’s hockey bench. The Westville native was an assistant to her twin sister, Lisa Jordan, head coach at Saint Mary’s University, at the 2007 Canada Games in Whitehorse.

Nova Scotia finished sixth in the Yukon, losing to Newfoundland in the fifth-place game.

“We have a good enough team to win at least fifth (this year),” Jordan said. “But we want to win a quarter-final game and hopefully sneak into a top-four game. That’s what we’re shooting for because anything can happen once we get there.”

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Canada Games “so it can be easy to get caught up in that and lose your focus a little bit,” she added. “That can definitely happen here being at home. So it’s important to put in your best effort. Keeping focused will be the big thing with so many distractions around you. But we have a good group so hopefully we can get the job done.”

The weeklong women’s hockey event starts on Feb. 20, a day after the men wrap up their tournament. Games will be held at the Dartmouth Sportsplex and the Halifax Metro Centre.

Jordan said home-ice advantage could play a part in her team’s success. “Hopefully they’ll be our sixth man,” she said. “The players and their families are excited. It always helps having the hometown crowd on your side.”

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