www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, November 25, 2016 | 26 Jovanovich handles pressure of playing for Ontario Red at Canadian U18s continued from p. 25 "I still think she thought she could do both. All she'd known was hockey and soccer," said her mom Michele. "I think she realized if she was going to go the Ivy route, she would have to choose. It was a very tough decision for her." Jovanovich would eventually make the decision with her play on the ice. After earning MVP honours at the Stoney Creek Showcase tournament, she began to see more opportunities in hockey . · · · · It has turned out to be a wise decision. Earlier this month, Jovanovich helped Ontario Red capture the Canadian under-18 hockey championship in Regina. Jovanovich was well aware of the expectations that go with playing for Ontario Red. The provincial squad had won nine of the 10 gold medals at nationals and lost only three times in 51 games at the tournament. So pulling on that jersey comes with a little bit of pressure to carry on with that success. "You feel you have a target on your back," she said. Jovanovich has seen it from both sides. Last year, as a member of Ontario Blue, the province's second entry, she was on one of the teams trying to dethrone the defending champs. She won a bronze medal with Ontario Blue but after making the Ontario Red squad this year gold was the goal. Ontario Red would not disappoint. After easy wins over Ontario Blue and Atlantic, Ontario Red faced its toughest test against host Saskatchewan. With Ontario Red down 3-2 with six minutes to play, Jovanovich set up Oakville Hornets teammate Lexie Adzija for a pair of goals in a 5-3 victory. After cruising to a 9-1 win over British Columbia in the semis, Ontario Red scored goals 23 seconds apart in the final minute of the second period to break a 1-1 tie on its way to a 4-1 win over Quebec in the final. There were plenty of familiar faces to share in the celebration. Five of Jovanovich's Oakville Hornet teammates -- Adzija, Emma Maltais, Sarah Fillier, Jessica Digirolamo and Devon Facchinato -- helped Ontario Red claim the title. Maltais, who had three assists in the final, led the tournament with 10 points while Fillier and Adzija shared the tournament lead with four goals. Digirolamo and Facchinato had five and three points, respectively, from the blueline. "We just had to focus on ourselves and play our systems," Jovanovich said of ignoring the pressure to win. "We had a good group of girls and we kept getting better each game." With that many Hornets on the provincial squad -- not to mention Victoria Klimek and Meaghan Hector on Ontario Blue -- it may not be the last time they have a chance to celebrate this season. The Hornets opened the season with a 17-game unbeaten streak (15-0-2) before it finally came to an end with a 4-3 loss to Mississauga Tuesday. After a fourth-place finish in the Provincial Women's Hockey League standings last year, Jovanovich felt the Hornets were positioned well for a run at their first league title. "A lot of us have been playing together for a lot of years," the 17-year-old said. "We have the group of girls and the coaching to do it, but we have to focus on our short-term goals." Jovanovich secured her long-term goal. She'll make her commitment to an Ivy League school official next month. She could have accepted a scholarship three years ago, but Jovanovich patiently waited to weigh her options. "She wanted to do it on her own time," her dad said. "She wanted to make sure the quality of the school and program were what she wanted." In the short term, she can focus on helping keep the Hornets atop the standings, or possibly helping Canada try to reclaim the world under-18 gold medal. Jovanovich played for Canada in its threegame series against the U.S. in the summer and would love to reprise that role at the worlds in January in the Czech Republic. "I got a taste of it August. That would be phenomenal," Jovanovich said. "Any time you can represent your country, it's an honour."