One of just three British Columbians on Team Canada’s roster, Shawnigan Lake School student Morgan Jackson is bringing ice hockey gold back to Vancouver Island after helping Team Canada to victory at the 2023 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.
The event’s final game was played in Östersund, Sweden on Jan. 15 and ended in a 10-0 shutout for Team Canada.
It could well have been 11-0, however.
With 4:39 remaining in the third period, Jackson, a Grade 11 student at Shawnigan Lake School and a product of the Comox Valley minor hockey system, split two Swedish defenders on her drive to the net, deeking the goalie and potting what she thought was her first goal of the tournament.
The highlight-reel-worthy goal was reviewed and eventually waved off due to what was deemed goaltender interference. Nevertheless, Jackson, Vancouver Island’s only representative on the Canadian team, held her head high and skated hard until the final whistle blew.
“What an incredible accomplishment for Morgan,” Shawnigan U18 Prep girls’ head coach Carly Haggard said. “She has worked so hard and deserves it. Shawnigan Lake School is extremely proud of her. She has a very bright future ahead of her.”
Jackson played in all five games Canada played and earned accolades for her two-way play and penalty killing abilities.
One of the younger players on the roster, Jackson’s ice time increased steadily over the course of the tournament as she earned opportunities to play in high-stakes situations. She capped off her tournament with more than 15 minutes of action in the gold-medal game against Sweden.
Her efforts surly inspired her U18 Prep team at Shawnigan Lake School when they went 3-1 at a Canadian Sport School Hockey League Showcase in Medicine Hat, capping it off with a 10-4 victory over Delta on Sunday.
Jackson is scheduled to be in her school team’s lineup this coming Saturday for a two-game set in Delta against Delta Hockey Academy. In a month’s time, Jackson will suit up for Team BC at the Canada Winter Games in PEI from Feb. 18 to March 5 while her Shawnigan Lake School teammate Arnica Bulmer will represent Team Yukon at the same event.
