There’s a new kid in town on the minor hockey scene. And don’t be surprised by the pink gloves or the pony tails dangling from the backs of their helmets.
This year, the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association put together its very first peewee girls rep team, the Williams Lake Peewee Timberwolves, who got their first taste of tournament play last weekend at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
Head coach Troy Weil said the creation of the new team will greatly benefit the development of female hockey players in Williams Lake. “It’s a great opportunity for them to be developed,” he said. “They’ve probably had as much ice in the first six weeks of the season than they’ve ever had in a year.”
Weil said 24 players tried out for the team, speaking volumes about the strides girls’ hockey is gaining in terms of popularity.
“That’s almost as much as the boys,” Weil said. “I think in Williams Lake we’re at about 30 per cent of the registration is girls.”
The tournament saw Kamloops, Prince George and Vernon visit the lakecity.
“From the scores at the tournament we’re competing with those teams,” Weil said. “We’re fortunate enough that Williams Lake has a lot of good girls, and I thought the tournament was awesome. All the teams were very evenly matched.”
The Timberwolves opened their tournament with a 6-5 loss to Vernon Saturday, the eventual tournament champions, who knocked off Prince George 5-1 in the final.
“They scored their sixth goal with about two minutes left in the game,” Weil said.
Next, Williams Lake lost 6-5 to Vernon in another heartbreaker.
“This time, they scored with .8 seconds left,” he said.
Finally, the Timberwolves lost 3-1 to Kamloops on Sunday in their final game.
“We were very competitive the entire tournament and we just ended up on the wrong end of some bounces,” Weil said of his team’s play.
Game MVPs for Williams Lake were Paityn Weil, Tamara Williams, Sarah Hermsen and Bronwyn Pocock.
“Every game we had a lot of kid step up and play very well,” he said.
Next up for the peewee girls rep team is a trip to Vernon this weekend.
The team, Weil said, will play close to 50 hockey games this season and will practice twice a week throughout. “It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I’m excited about the upcoming year.”
