Girls hockey in Moosomin region continues to grow
April 11, 2023, 1:26 pm
Sierra D'Souza Butts
In late March, four girls hockey teams from Moosomin participated in Winnipeg’s leading female hockey tournament—the Stars Cup—where three of the local teams took home a medal.
“We took them to Stars Cup, it’s a massive female hockey tournament. I think there were 48 teams there scattered through four age groups, each age group had multiple divisions,” said Mark O’Rourke, one of the coaches.
“I thought the competition was incredibly competitive for the most part.”
The coaches and volunteers for the different teams were proud of how well the girls played during the March 24 weekend.
“Our U9 girls who played mixed hockey all year came together, and won gold at the tournament,” said Alyssa Jeannot, one of the coaches.
“Out of the four teams, three teams from Moosomin took home a medal. Our U9 Lady Rangers took gold in their division even though they never played a hockey game together.
“The U11 Lady Rangers took gold as well, the U15 Borderland Badgers took silver, and the U13 team lost in the Bronze final.”
Two other local teams from Elkhorn also attended the tournament where both teams brought home a medal. The U13 Elkhorn Canadians won gold, and the U11 Elkhorn Canadians won bronze at the tournament.
“This is just a testament to the local talent in our community, and surrounding communities, and the vibrant interest in female hockey in our area,”said Jeannot.
Interest in girls hockey is thriving
Aside from Moosomin, the push for creating more hockey teams for girls has become a common trend across the province, Jeannot said.
“I think female hockey is just trending,” she said.
“Sask Hockey has made a big push with female festivals in the area. They did one in Wawota in the fall last year.
“They also put on this program where anyone can come for like $30, and you take your daughter to play games. It’s essentially a weekend where the girls can get together, and they’re pushing a lot for that now which I think can make a difference.
“But, also in the Moosomin area, we have a lot of interest in it. There’s girls playing hockey, you’re seeing it more. Kids are more interested getting into it when their peers are in it.”
O’Rourke added that girls in the area have always had an interest in the sport, but just needed an opportunity to play with other girls.
“Girls in this area have always been interested in the game, they’ve just played with the boys,” O’Rourke said.
“What we’ve done is try to create an opportunity for them to essentially be girls in the dressing room, and that’s drawn them in.
“The game is hockey, but giving them a setting where they’re the star of the show, where they’re on the ice and they have to do everything.
That there’s no one else there to help them, but the girls, and making them realize what they can do. And, just letting them have fun.
“The dressing room between boys and girls is drastically different,” O’Rourke said laughing.
“The boys will be boys, but the girls, they’re upbeat, they’re dancing, they’re singing. It’s almost like a slumber party in the dressing room.
They’re having fun, and that’s really the opportunity we were hoping years ago to create for them, is to just let them have fun.”
The Moosomin girls hockey teams consist of kids from ages 9 to 15.
“I think the biggest tell-tale sign of it being so successful in our area is that we have a U9 team all the way to a U15 team now, and the interest is there to continue on with it,” said Jeannot.
“I think it’s just a testament to the interest that’s continued on.”
If the interest in girls hockey continues down the road as the girls become older, Jeannot and O’Rourke said there is a possibility for creating older teams for the area.
“Moosomin Minor Hockey is responsible for U13 and U15. Whether there’s an opportunity down the road to get the next level, which is U18, I don’t know,” said O’Rourke.
“I can’t speak to that, but we just focused on the younger kids.
“I always saw it as a gap that as the girls got older, they either played with the boys or they got out of hockey because at some point in time the dressing room is not the same. They can’t be in there and they’re not a part of that environment.
“Also, the hockey becomes more physical. Some girls can play at that level, but there’s a number of girls that can’t. So they quit.”
“Or, it gets isolating being in a dressing room by yourself on a boys hockey team,” Jeannot added.
“I did it growing up, and it’s not the same. Once you see the atmosphere of being in a dressing room full of girls versus what you’re used to in the broom closet at the rink, like what some of us girls did back in the day, it’s 100 per cent different.”
Jeannot also mentioned how she is currently a part of a local hockey team for women who have an interest in playing the sport.
“We’re one of the few women’s hockey teams in the area who are part of an actual league,” she said.
“It’s called the Super 7 Women’s hockey league, and consists of women over the age of 18. We finished third in our league play, and lost in the second round of playoffs to Estevan. But, I think it’s cool that we have a women’s rec league close to home for us old girls who still love the game!”
Community support has helped girls hockey
With the interest for girls hockey continuing to grow in the area, O’Rourke said the community has been working hard to create all-girls teams in the hope of giving kids in Moosomin the opportunity to play.
“There’s a solid group of people who have been building this for years, to try and get it rolling,” said O’Rourke.
“It’s been a village of people to get this together. There’s been lots of support.
“With the girls having so much fun with it over the years, a couple of the individuals that have helped grow this were also on the minor Hockey Board and they helped push it through the minor hockey system and get it organized that way, and created that opportunity for the girls at the older level right now.
“It’s really been a group effort, but I think at the end of the day it’s what a lot of the girls want.”
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