The Regina Rebels had a great season, but just came up a little short of their ultimate goal, finishing fourth at the 2013 Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship this weekend.  They lost the bronze medal game on Saturday night, 1-0, to the Edmonton Thunder.

The game was close throughout with the Rebels outshooting the Thunder, 29-19, but they were just unable to beat goalie Chloe Sanderson, who turned in a remarkable performance for the shutout.  Elizabeth Sayln scored the game's lone goal at the midway point of the third period and despite pressure from the Rebels afterwards, Sanderson wouldn't crack to hold onto the win.

“We went in there and did our best and worked hard,” said forward Emma Waldenberger, who is one of three Moose Jaw players that helped lead the way for the Rebels all season.  “Fourth in Canada is an amazing finish, so it was a really good experience.

“Overall it was a great experience to know that we could play with the best teams in the country.  Our team worked really well together and our coaches were amazing.”

Waldenberger along with Rebels' captain Hannah Heisler and Leah Bohlken represented the Friendly City well, played big roles for the Rebels this season and that didn't change at the Esso Cup.  Waldenberger posted four goals and eight points during the tournament, while Heisler added three goals and six points, and Bohlken scored in the opening game.

The Rebels ended up second after the round robin with three regulation wins and two overtime losses.  They were however upset in the semifinal game by LHFDQ Nord from Quebec, who went on to win the gold medal with a 5-2 win over North Bay in the final.

“Sometimes we didn't get the right bounces, but I guess that's hockey,” said Waldenberger.  “Our team worked really well together as a team, we didn't really have an individuals, but we just didn't get the bounces, we hit so many posts and crossbars.”

The fourth place finish caps off a great year for the Rebels.  They dominated the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, losing only once during the season and it came in a shootout.  They rolled through the playoffs and the Western Regional and competed with the best in the country at the Esso Cup.

“It was amazing to go that far,” said Waldenberger.  “We took our season as far as we could.”

The good news for Waldenberger is she will be back next year and she says they're already ready to make another run, “I guess we have high standards to meet and we know what it's like to be there now, so to go back, we'll just be more experienced and ready.”

Bohlken will back again next year as well as she was the youngest of the trio.  Heisler capped off a great career with a great season and will now be moving on to play for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.