One of Salmon Arm’s hockey stars is moving up the ranks and may soon be competing at a national level.
Sixteen-year-old Alexa Ranahan has had a busy year.
She was recently chosen as one of 24 hockey players from British Columbia to play on Team BC for the second year in a row, and is now one of six chosen to compete for a place on the women’s U18 National team.
To prepare for the Team Canada selection camp, the Team BC summer camp, held in Salmon Arm this year, paired up with the International Ice Hockey Federation mentoring program for the first time.
This allowed Team BC to play three games against Team Kazakhstan at the Shaw Centre.
During these games Ranahan was given the chance to play alongside the Kazakhstan players.
“It was interesting being switched onto their team,” she says. “You don’t understand any of what they were saying while on the ice or in the dressing room. No one knew English. I just focused on what I had to do on the ice and everything else kind of clicked.”
Hitting the ice with women she has never met is nothing new to Ranahan.
While she has played against the other five girls on Team B.C., she has never played with them before.
However, she sees this as an advantage.
“It is nice to have the high caliber of girls to play with,” she says. “You are always trying to keep up with them. It makes you push yourself, try to keep yourself at their level, which makes you a better player. It’s not just on the ice, but you are pushing yourself at the gym and in all other areas as well. You don’t want to let them down.”
If Ranahan is chosen during the women’s U18 selection camp in Calgary, which began Aug. 2 and wound up Aug. 14, after press time, she will move on to become part of the U18 Team Canada, where she will stay to train until Aug. 16. After which, the team will fly to Minnesota to play against Team USA.
The team will also be competing in the Worlds in Finland during the Christmas break.
“It is really exciting,” she says. “You just don’t think it is ever going to happen. It has always been my dream to be on a national team whether it’s U18 or U22 or the national team. It is nerve-racking to know it is right there, this is my chance.”
Ranahan has set her sights on U18 Team Canada and hopes to do her best to achieve her goal.
“It is my first year, of course I don’t expect to make it for sure, but I am definitely going to push for it. I think I have a good chance, but so does everyone else.”
Whether she makes the team or not, Ranahan believes the experience itself will provide her with what she needs to advance in her career.
“The people you meet are amazing, everyone you meet is so positive and wants you to do well in your hockey career. You learn so many things, even little things, on and off the ice, that help you improve. Everyone that you meet and the things they can teach you makes the experience completely worthwhile. They really show you what it takes to make it to the next level, where you need to be. That’s a huge part of it.”
The memories she gains throughout her hockey career are also something she values.
“This year’s best memory would be when we were in the Notre Dame tournament,” says Ranahan. We were in the semifinals and we had a 3 to 2 score. There was five seconds left in the game and both me and Hannah were in the penalty box, and the other team scored to tie it up. We got out of the box and I got a pass and was able to take a shot to get the game winner. That sent us into the finals.”
Ranahan, who has been playing since she was five, thanks her coaches for getting her to where she is today.
“Shaun Lund was my midget coach for my first year. He was always so competitive and let me do my own thing. He really started it all off and showed me where to go. I guess I just ran with that.”
“My coaches Gina Kingsbury and Rebecca Russell have also been great. Gina has been to the Olympics twice and won two gold medals and Rebecca has been on a national team. They are just really great people to have around and they know what it takes to make it. They push us really hard and it really helps us out.”
Ranahan does not plan to back away from the world of hockey any time soon, and has already set her goals for the future.
“I want to get a full ride scholarship to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and play on some sort of national team.”
