The Yukon Wild U11 girls hockey team brought home the gold medal at the Kamloops Winter Blast in British Columbia.
The Wild defeated the Kelowna Rockets 3-0 in the final game of the tournament on Dec. 3.
There were 400 female players at the tournament ranging from U11 to U18 levels. Most of the athletes were from B.C., Alberta and Seattle, Wash. The teams in the U11 division were the Yukon, Kamloops, Kelowna, Tri-Cities, Abbotsford and Langley.
Team manager Amanda Cann said the team was selected in the fall and have been practicing on and off the ice.
The Winter Blast was the first tournament for 10 of the 14 girls on the team.
“It was a recreational level tournament and they looked really good out there and did well. They won their first three games by quite a margin,” Cann said.
She said going into the gold medal game, the Wild was set to play a team that had also won their three games leading up to finals.
“They were a little bit nervous but excited because the other team was looking to be a good match for them,” she said.
“But they went in and won the gold medal game. They played really well, defensively.”
Before the tournament, Cann said the girls did dryland training once every other week with coach Shauna Frizzell.
“They’re on the ice as a team once every two weeks,” Cann said.
“But then they all participate in their house league hockey two or three times a week and that’s when they’re playing with the boys as well. So, we’re thankful that there is time for the girls to have time on the ice with just them.”
Members of the winning Wild team include Fynnlee Barnhart, Gally Cann, Clare Connell, Braelyn Ewing, Taryn Frizzell, Olivia Irvine, Austyn Laluk, Ana Lammers, Adelyn Martin and Brooklyn Warner along with two sets of siblings: Charlie and Grey Mason, and Kate and Maggie Dumont.
Cann said the girls were really impressed with their performance.
“One of them said, ‘This is the best day of my life.’ Another one said, ‘This is better than my trip to Disneyland,’ while the last girl said ‘I want to play hockey forever.’’’
Cann said sponsor, CGM Contracting, paid for their entry fee and other expenses for the girls to have a good time during the competition.
“Female hockey is on the rise in the Yukon and this is probably only the second time they’ve been able to field a team of U11 players without having to pull in younger players to make a team. So, there’s definitely a lot of support for female hockey out there.”
Cann said the Yukon Wild U11 and the Yukon Wild U13 teams will be participating in the Richmond Ravens Ice Classic tournament in B.C. from March 28 to 31. The tournament will mark the end of the season for the teams.
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
