He was not looking to devise a miracle strategy in the desperate hope of seeing his team fill the opponent’s net with four rapid-fire goals.

No, what MacKay wanted his assembled troop to do was line up together, face the 1,250 or so proud fans, and hoist their hockey sticks high in the air in a touching, collective thank-you to their supporters.

MacKay’s voice cracked and his eyes welled as he talked to reporters about the classy tip of the hat.

“Well, the crowds in P.E.I. have been behind us all week and we wanted to show we appreciate it,’’ he said.

Team P.E.I. put on quite a show to earn that show of support at the Esso Women’s Nationals hockey championships.

The host team came in as underdogs, but they battled to victory game after game after game after game, first putting aside Manitoba, then Nova Scotia and finally New Brunswick to emerge from the round robin with a perfect record and a growing swell of Island support.

They went on Friday to earn a second win against New Brunswick in as many days, this time in an intense double overtime thriller, putting P.E.I. in a position to grab gold.

Fans filled all the seats Saturday, only to bolt to their feet and give a loud standing ovation as Team P.E.I. skated onto the ice for the big game.

The roar sent shivers through the flexible spine of Diana Benell, whose stellar play earned her the nod as top goalie of the tournament.

“It’s definitely a great feeling to have all that support,’’ she said.

“It’s definitely the first time I’ve ever been involved in anything like this.’’

Elizabeth Legay, who alternated net duty with Benell and put in two outstanding performances in round robin play to greatly assist in her team getting a shot at gold, struggled with all the pressure of getting the nod Saturday.

She was be replaced by Benell before the game was five minutes old, her team trailing 3-0.

“I think I was pretty nervous and that definitely didn't help,’’ she said.

“I guess it was the nerves. I wish I knew because then I could have fixed it.’’

Legay, clearly upset after the game but willing to face the media, will probably need time for the team’s silver success to sink in and to appreciate her own strong play in the tournament.

“Yeah, I think so,’’ she agreed.

“Right now, I'm pretty upset, though.’’

Benell did a great job keeping her team in the game, after coming in to replace Legay, but with a lack of offence in front of her it gradually became clear gold was out of reach. She isn’t scoffing at second place, though.

Benell said if someone had told her before competition began Tuesday that Team P.E.I. would skate away with silver, she “would have just laughed — wouldn’t have believed it.’’

MacKay is thrilled with the play of his team, taking home silver, and having the tournament’s top goalie in Benell as well as the tournament MVP and top tournament forward, both in the form of Kelsey O’Donnell.

“We have a great team in there, a lot of character,’’ he said.

“We played hard all week and every player gave everything they got. It’s quite a sacrifice to even be on this team with work commitments and school and university. And the effort they put forth is like everybody emptied the tank and gave everything they got, and that’s all you can ask.’’

O’Donnell, who led the tournament with eight goals and two assists, had mixed emotions after Saturday’s loss as she stood at centre ice accepting a pair of accolades for her great offensive performance throughout the week.

“That was great,’’ she said of being named top forward and MVP.

“It’s an upside to the loss but everyone is still taking the loss hard, same as me.’’

Still, O’Donnell, who hopes to get another tryout with Team Canada like she did last year, knows Prince Edward Island’s silver and overall great showing at the tournament will sit well for a long time.

“It’s definitely going to be memorable,’’ she said.

Tournament award winners

Club team championship:

Top goaltender — Amanda Tapp (Calgary)

Top forward — Jayna Hefford (Brampton)

Top defenceman — Bobbi Jo Slusar (Brampton)

MVP — Hayley Wickenheiser (Calgary)

Most sportsmanlike team — Minnesota

Most sportsmanlike player — Jennifer Botterill (Mississauga)

Senior women’s championship:

Top goaltender — Diana Benell (P.E.I.)

Top forward — Kelsey O’Donnell (P.E.I.)

Top defenceman — Devon Fingland (Manitoba)

MVP — Kelsey O’Donnell (P.E.I.)

Most sportsmanlike team — Team P.E.I.

Most sportsmanlike player — Aimee Collins (Manitoba)