The NW Sharks will have their first game of the North Finals tonight when they host the Prince Albert Family Pizza Foxes. (Image Credit: submitted/Brendan Kramer)

By Ryan Lambert

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Trip to provincial finals on the line when NW Sharks face Prince Albert

Mar 18, 2026 | 5:12 PM

Female hockey is on the rise in the Battlefords. While the WPD Ambulance Sharks chase their first SFU18AAAHL championship, the U18AA NW Sharks also aim for hardware in the Sask. Female Hockey League (SFHL).  

After sweeping the Saskatoon Comet Legends in the second round of the playoffs, the Sharks face off with the Prince Albert Family Pizza Foxes in the North Finals. The winner of the three-game series will move onto the provincial finals against the winner of Regina vs. Swift Current. 

In the regular season, the Sharks finished with a record of 15-8-2-2, finishing in third place in the SFHL and second place in the North Division. 

The Sharks had a few new players after graduating a handful last season, but Sharks’ head coach Brendan Kramer said it was a good transition for some of the new players. 

“We had five rookies. They gelled well and have been large contributors to the team both offensively and defensively,” said Kramer. “There were eight others who’ve played for us the last two seasons and have come on strong with work ethic and their speed, skill and consistency.” 

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The players who were familiar with the squad helped a lot with the rookies.

“We’ve got a really good leadership group, and I think the leaders on the team, whether they’re third year senior players or second year returning players, they kind of set the table for the others to kind of parallel,” said Kramer. 

A strength for the Sharks this season has been their ability to keep a positive mindset when games get tough, which could be crucial in a playoff series. 

“Having the no quit kind of mentality with keeping it positive. They’re a resilient bunch of young ladies and play with lots of grit and determination,” said Kramer. “We do certainly have some speed and skill on our team that can work well for us when everybody’s going.” 

With the success throughout the season of both the AA and AAA Sharks, Kramer said it’s great for women’s hockey to be growing in the northwest.

“It’s really cool to see the female hockey and how far it’s developed here in the last number of years. There’s a lot of good things happening within the Northwest community and developing a lot of young female players.” 

With several players in the northwest area playing for the NW Sharks, they had home games throughout the season in various communities including, North Battleford and Battleford, Unity, Turtleford, Maidstone, Spiritwood and Meadow Lake.

“Each one of those girls has a home game if possible. And then when it comes to playoffs, you get the community support from the whole Northwest, not just from the Battlefords,” said Kramer. 

Game 1 of the finals is on March 18 at the Access Communications Centre in North Battleford. Puck drop is at 7:15 p.m.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com