A new season is just around the corner for the Northern Capitals U18 female AAA hockey team, who will host their season opener at home on the weekend of Sept. 25.

Final team rosters were announced last week, and the first training camp opened on Aug. 13 in preparation for the season.

The Caps had a disappointing 2020/21 campaign, finishing with a 2-4-2 record, good for 4th among the five league teams. This year though, they have high hopes to compete for the B.C. Hockey U18FAAA championship, as two players on the roster are currently committed to U Sport universities.

Among the players, making the final cut is Quesnel home-town girl Avery Bautista, who will be a key player in the forward lineup.

“She’s antagonizing a little bit, but she’s got some scoring touch. She’s hard to play against [and] she plays the game really hard,” Trevor Sprauge, the Caps general manager, said. “She’s the type of person that you like having on your team.”

This year’s team expectation is to play to the highest level as a team and making it to the Esso Cup, Sprauge said.

Head Coach Mario Desjardins is back behind the bench this season, entering his 7th year as leader of the squad.