jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Medicine Hat Minor Hockey is hosting Female Hockey Day on Saturday.
The initiative organized by Hockey Alberta is entering its sixth year with Medicine Hat hosting a day of events at the Big Marble Go Centre.
Medicine Hat Minor Hockey general manager Hannah Davidson says there is a lot of excitement for the event and getting the chance to introduce hockey to girls.
“We’re looking forward to having all the teams come out, we’ve got a lot of girls within our girls program who are registered for the sessions that Hockey Alberta is hosting, and then our girls are going to be out in the ranks cheering on the older girls with the later games,” Davidson said. “It’s going to be an exciting day. It’s focused on development for females in our female stream of minor hockey, so it’s nice to have kind of the light shining on our females this weekend.”
The event features pre-registered skates, workouts and classroom learning, following the initial focus of bringing female players, parents, coaches and supporters together for the development, growth and celebration of the game.
Spectators are welcome to watch the action, with ice times starting at 9 a.m. and running until 7 p.m. A full schedule of the day can be found on Medicine Hat Minor Hockey’s Facebook page.
Some of the events featured on the day are a try-hockey session for youth females looking to try the sport for the first time. There will also be a para-hockey event for local girls and women who currently play in the Sledge Hockey program.
There will also be skill development courses aimed at improving players’ defensive skills and goal scoring ability. Both skill sessions are opt to ages U13-U18.
Medicine Hat’s U9 and U11 teams will also face off against their older peers.
In the middle of lessons, The South Alberta Hockey Academy’s U18 women’s team will face off against the U18AAA Calgary Fire in a contest starting at 3 p.m. The game will feature a U7 intermission game, a meet-and-greet with autograph signings and a Q&A with the players.
Also in Medicine Hat on Saturday, the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s hockey team hosts the Olds College Broncos at the Moose Rec Centre for a 1 p.m. game.
There’s a lot to look forward to on the day and for Davidson, she’s looking forward to seeing more girls try the sport.
“The try-hockey for me, because of my role I’m always trying to get young girls to join minor hockey and get on the ice, so that hits home just with our younger girls hockey,’ Davidson said. “Hockey Alberta sent everybody that registered for try-hockey who didn’t have equipment, they sent them all free equipment. So that puts the cherry on top to see the young ones get on the ice and experience hockey for the first time with a lot of female mentors in the area of Alberta.”
Female Hockey Day has previously made stops in Red Deer, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Calgary and Fort McMurray.
