Olivia VanSickle Shines as Two-Way Talent at Esso Cup

Another major tournament, another medal for Olivia VanSickle.

The 16-year-old Milton native and standout two-way defender for the U18 AA North York Storm helped her team secure bronze at the Esso Cup nationals held this past weekend in Lloydminster, Alberta.

After a narrow 3-2 semifinal loss to the eventual champions, the Edmonton Jr. Oilers, the Storm bounced back strong. They opened the scoring early and added two goals in the third period to defeat the host Lloydminster Steelers 4-1 in Saturday’s third-place matchup.

Earlier this month, North York also edged the Stratford Aces 2-1 to win the OWHA championship. They finished the Esso Cup preliminary round with a 3-2 record.

VanSickle stood out with multiple multi-point games during the tournament.

One of her biggest performances came in a tight 3-2 victory over the Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière, where she assisted on a last-minute tying goal before netting the overtime winner herself.

She also recorded a late goal and an assist in a 5-4 loss to the Saskatoon Stars during the tournament opener, and contributed an assist in a 7-2 win over the Eastern Stars.

Despite being outshot 36-25 in the bronze-medal game, the Storm benefited from strong goaltending and a hat trick from Toronto’s Demi Lazarou.

Earlier at the provincial championships, VanSickle helped lead the Storm to an undefeated 5-0-1 record, allowing just four goals across all games and earning two shutouts on their way to the title.