By Kristi Patton /
If there is one thing to remember about the Maschmeyer family, it’s that you don’t want to meet them in a game of shinny.
On the front end, you have Brittaney, who was recently named to the national women’s roster to play in the 2009 MLP Cup (formerly known as the Air Canada Cup). Alongside her are brothers; Bronson (a defenseman for the WHL Vancouver Giants), Brock (a defenseman with the Junior A Lloydminster Bobcats/WHL Chilliwack Bruins) and Kache (a defencemen with the Pee Wee Fort Saskatchewan team). In net is sister Emerande (Fort Saskatchewan Rangers boys Midget AAA) and back on the bench is dad Arlan, who is the head coach of the WWHL Edmonton Chimos. Of course mom, Christine, helps keep it all together.
“We have an outdoor rink at our house with the Hockey Canada symbol literally in the corner in the cement of the rink,” says Brittaney. “My dad would always brings us out there and have us doing drills until our toes were frostbitten, then my mom would have the cold water in the tub ready for us to defrost them.”
Brittaney is the eldest of the Maschmeyer youth squad and has moved on to play with the St. Lawrence University Saints women’s hockey team in the ECAC hockey league. So far this season, the third year blue-liner is having one of her best years as a Saint. She has gathered nine points in 17 games with most of those earned on the power play. Proving that those late nights on the outdoor rink firing pucks at her sister have paid off.
“Brittaney is a pretty steady defenceman who is very skilled and brings a lot of the offensive aspect to her game. She was very steady for us in August and seems to be having a pretty good first half at St. Lawrence,” said U-22 coach Sarah Howald.
Last year the defenceman was named the Saints most improved player and finished second among sophomores in scoring. This season her team currently sits in first in the conference.
While her success at the college level has been improving the real test will come in international play. This will be her first shot at that.
“It is a huge step for me since to make the Olympic team is something I’ve always been striving for. Also, to be playing overseas against other countries best Under-22 players and Olympic teams, like Team Switzerland, it will be amazing and nerve racking at the same time,” says Brittaney.
The U-22 team will be heading to Switzerland on Dec. 29 to 31 for exhibition play and then on to Ravensburg, Germany to play in Group A against Finland and Russia. Canada has won the tournament every year since its inception in 2003.
And naturally, as the Maschmeyer family seems to do, they will be able to relish the experience together.
“The three major things that I am looking forward to on this trip would be playing with and against some of the best players in the world, since I have only been in Canada and the U.S., Germany and Switzerland will be quite and experience and thirdly, having my dad and grandparents there with me to experience it all,” she says. |