A new season is just around the corner for the Northern Capitals U18 female AAA hockey team, and final rosters were announced last week. Training camp first opened on Aug. 13 in preparation for the season.

Among the players making the final cut is 17-year-old Houston resident Karsyn Niven, who will once again be the teams starting goaltender in her second season with the team.

The Capitals struggled somewhat in their 2020/21 campaign, finishing 2-4-2 in exhibition play before the rest of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. They finished with the fourth best record among the five league teams. Despite the team’s record last season, Niven performed quite well, posting a 2-1-1 record with a 2.00 goals against average. Niven surrendered just eight goals in four starts. This year, she hopes to build on that success.

Houston Today spoke to General Manager Trevor Sprauge about the importance of his star goaltender Niven. “Our team stops the puck,” he said. “We’ve been blessed with goaltending, she gives the team a chance to win every night.”

After last year’s disspointing season, the Capitals 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.

Head Coach Mario Desjardins is back behind the bench, entering his 7th year as leader the squad. Alongside coach Desjardin will be second year Assistant Coach Jordan Shanks.

The Capitals will compete for the U18FAAA title against teams from Thompson-Okanagan, Fraser Valley, the Greater Vancouver Area, and Vancouver Island.

The team travelled to Calgary to compete in the Calgary Fire Starter tournament as a tune-up this past weekend, and their opener for the B.C. U18FAA season is scheduled at home on the weekend of Sept. 25 and 26.

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