By their very nature, DS (Developmental Stream) teams have no choice but to bond quickly.

In the sometimes convoluted world of the OWHA (Ontario Women's Hockey Association), DS teams are effectively house league all-star teams, often assembling some of the more talented recreational girls for a tournament or two along the way.

Because the teams are not the primary focus for the athletes, practice time might be limited, making for some very interesting challenges come tournament time.

This, however, was not the case for the Sudbury Lady Wolves U15 DS team. Not by a long shot.

Last month, the team not only claimed their second championship banner in as many attempts, but did so with plenty of drama along the way, walking away with gold medals at the year-end Brampton Canadettes Tournament.

For as much as the team cruised through pool play with victories over the Ennismore Eagles (7-0), North Halton Twisters (6-1) and Kingston Ice Wolves (4-0), the real fun was only just beginning.

With a 17 team field attending the event, coach Ryan Forigo and the Lady Wolves were forced to play through four rounds of playoff competition, beginning with an elimination game that they handled in stride, bouncing the Mississauga Hurricanes 5-1.

A quarter-final that could have gone either way would see Sudbury prevail by a 1-0 score over the Kanata Rangers as goaltender Meghan Knight recorded her fourth shutout in tournament play for the team.

An all-around team effort allowed the Lady Wolves to blast their way to the finals thanks to a 4-0 whitewashing of the Nepean Wildcats, with netminder Madeline Schnarr keeping the sheet clean at her end of the rink.

Battled tested through five games as well, the Central York Panthers proved to be quite the test for the northern crew. With the game tied at one and six minutes to play, championship final MVP Meghan Knight came through with a critical penalty shot save, effectively forcing overtime.

In period number four, an all-out hustle effort from Maelle Lamoureux led to a pass to Alivia Buchowski, who sniped home the tournament winning goal, allowing unspoken team leader Taylor Peltier the opportunity to hoist the banner with a group of jubilant teammates.

"It was an honour and a privilege to e the head coach of this team," said Forigo. "I am so proud of them for achieving their goals but more so, how they did it - as a team united, with parents cheering on every kid as if they were their own."

Rounding out the roster for the team that also claimed the Toronto Leaside Wildcats March Matchup were Veronica Warwick-Chong, Racheal Lazarus, Aceline Xio, Brooke Bernstein, Emily Harris, Rya Aubertin, Olive-Marie Bomberry, Alissa Dignard, Evelyn O’Shaughnessy, Kiera Uremovich, Kaitlyn Forigo and Kawnayah Osawamick-Scarlett.

Joining Forigo on the team staff were assistant coaches Jay Aubertin and Steve Lamoureux, trainer Natalie Dignard and team managers Leigh Ann Knight and Maia O’Shaughnessy.