Caily Mellott is winning face-offs and competing hard every time she hits the ice with one of the top teams in British Columbia’s Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
The local skater had two goals and two assists after 17 games this season with the Northern Capitals, which ranked at the top of the league standings in mid-December.
Mellott – along with her older sister Cassidy – played with the Prince George-based team last season, known as the Cougars then, when they captured the provincial championship.
Northern Capitals coach Mario Desjardins, who also coached the team last year, says the goal this year is not only defending the club’s provincial title, but also winning a resulting regional series and moving on to the 2016 ESSO Cup, the premiere tournament for female AAA hockey in Canada, held in Weyburn Saskatchewan this year in April.
“With the dynamics of the team – we’ve got the goaltending, we’ve got the defence, we’ve got scoring – I have big hopes for this team to go all the way this year.”
However, the coach admits it’s going to be a challenge getting out of this province’s very competitive midget league.
“The league continues to progress to being definitely better and better every year [since] I started coaching three years ago. Any team can win on any given night, that’s for sure.”
As for Mellott, Desjardins has been utilizing the forward as a face-off specialist in different situations this year.
“She brings a compete level every single night”, he says. And like a lot of new players to the league, she’s adapting to the quicker pace of the game at this level.
“She’s getting a full year under her belt. I think the biggest adjustment, not just for Caily but for the younger players, is time and space. It’s very limited compared to where they’re coming from.”
Mellott says the league is definitely a step up from last year. She spent most of last season playing rep hockey in Kamloops. It was a big help playing with the Cougars during their provincial championship series last March.
Mellott plays on a line with Jordan Shanks of Prince George and Taylor Beck of Houston. Speaking during a six-game winning streak, Mellott said the speedy line had found its “happy place” with respect to their on-ice chemistry.
“We’re three of the smallest girls on the team, but we’ve done really well. We haven’t had many goals scored against us.”
Playing AAA hockey makes for a demanding schedule. The Capitals are on the road constantly for tournaments (in Saskatchewan recently for the Mandi Schwartz Challenge in December) and regular weekend trips for league games against the Greater Vancouver Comets; the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers; Vancouver Island Seals; Fraser Valley Rush; and Kootenay Wild.
Mellott seems to be relishing her new situation, working hard to balance her Grade 11 studies at Duchess Park Secondary School in Prince George with the rigorous nature of AAA hockey.
“Really, all I do is hockey and school work. If I’m not in the hockey rink, I’m probably in the books.”
Mellott hopes to play university hockey one day. Sunrise Ford in 100 Mile House is a much-appreciated sponsor of Mellott as she pursues her hockey dreams.
