Northwest committee aims to expand girls’ hockey opportunities across region

The committee has announced tentative plans for four new single-A teams:

U13 – Battlefords Minor Hockey Association
U13 – Meadow Lake Minor Hockey
U15 – location TBD
U18 – St. Walburg Minor Hockey

Battlefords, Meadow Lake, St. Walburg, Turtleford, Cut Knife, Glaslyn, Goodsoil, Edam, Unity, Big River, Lashburn and Maidstone have also signed the agreement and memorandum of understanding for the region’s AA and A teams.

“This committee looks after all female athletes in the region. By doing that, we’re able to pool all of our girls together to create more teams. Part of the issue is some of these associations don’t have female teams,” said Stewart. “We have a very large area, and families can’t travel two-and-a-half hours to come to Battleford to plan an all-girls team.”

Stewart said the tentative team placements were based on last year’s registration numbers and current information.

“The hope is we can have enough girls for those two teams and cover the entire region and make female hockey more accessible for families,” Stewart said.

In the future, the committee plans to place teams based on where the majority of players live.

“Instead of having one community be the centre, the team is placed what makes the most sense for the players and their families, dealing with travel.”

Stewart said games could also be hosted in different communities throughout the season, allowing players the opportunity to compete in their home arenas.

The announcement comes as girls’ hockey continues to experience rapid growth in Saskatchewan, creating increased demand for competitive opportunities throughout the province.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

Northwest committee aims to expand girls’ hockey opportunities across region

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