Just being in the gold-medal game isn’t enough for Sarah Gillard.
She wants to win a gold medal. It would be a special moment.
Gillard’s sister Jolena was a member of the Western female hockey team that won gold in female hockey at the 2014 provincial Games in Clarenville.
Gillard will get a chance to play for a Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games gold medal in female hockey today 11 a.m. at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex.
Her team, 3-1 in round-robin play, will tangle with a talented St. John’s/North team led by Abby Newhook, one of the top female players in the province.
“I want (a gold medal) just like my sister. We really want to win it,” Gillard said after receiving player-of-the game honours after Western defeated Central Friday afternoon to secure a berth in the final.
The opposing team is a tough opponent, Gillard acknowledges, especially with a player like Newhook capable of doing some amazing things, but she believes in her teammates and thinks shutting down the offensive force of the opposition is something her team can handle.
“If we put two players on her she can’t do nothing. She gets frustrated,” Gillard said.
Gillard is one of the most dangerous players on the host team so she knows she will have to be at her best, but she doesn’t put any pressure on herself because she accepts the leadership role that has been placed on her.
“I got to be the leader so I expect a lot from myself,” she said.
Jolena snagged gold in Clarenville miles away from home.
Sarah is hoping to do it on home ice with Jolena watching.
