The Northern Chill 15U Black Ice entered McGregor Cup – Select C play earlier this month in Stouffville as the number one seed in a nine-team field – but the signs were there early that the event would be no cakewalk to gold.

Pool play in the morning served notice as the Sudbury crew went the full three sets to dispose of both the 416SIX Riptide from Toronto (25-9, 19-25, 15-8) and the Barrie Elites Thunder (25-16, 14-25, 15-13).

Tough matches ensued come playoff time as the Chill picked up a win over the Venom Prime (Richmond Hill) in quarter-final play (25-22, 25-22), but were bested in three sets by Pakmen Black from Mississauga in the semis (20-25, 25-15, 13-15).

Nevertheless, the 15U Black Ice girls were adamant there was still hardware that was clearly worthwhile up for grabs, earning bronze thanks to a 15-25, 25-22, 15-12 decision over the Hummingbird Heat from Ajax.

The 2025-2026 edition of the Northern Chill 15U Black Ice features Emma DeMarchi, Hayley Holmes, Jessica MacLean, Sophie Marshall, Kallie Smith, Truleigh Boivin, Ivana Coluzzi, Eliza Rybiak, Nova Debassige, Melodie Savoie, Piper Hamilton-Bachiu and Chloe Cothill, as well as head coach Carrie Welsh, assistant coaches Joanna Rosenbaum and Bryan Welsh and team manager Deanna DeMarchi.