By Mike Dennis, Hockey Alberta /
It’s not very often an athlete has the chance to play for a national championship, but for the 20 players that cracked the Team Alberta U-18 Female lineup, it’s a dream that has turned into reality as the 2009 National Women’s Under-18 Championship kicked off Nov. 4 in Surrey, BC.
“Going into the tournament, we would characterize ourselves as workers,” said Team Alberta Head Coach, Cheryl Harwardt. “The players have committed themselves to continual improvement and we expect that to continue through each game in the tournament.”
Team Alberta will have six returning players in the lineup that will be leaned on heavily to provide veteran leadership and help carry out the coaches message of “team toughness.” It’s an identity Harwardt believes will help improve on the team’s 1-3 record from 2008.
“Teamwork and toughness are the foundations of our team, each shift we expect to work together and be a tough team to play against,” added Harwardt.
“With seventh place finishes in the last two tournaments, we (Team Alberta) are looking to re-establish our high standards and make a stronger finish this year,” said Jenn Lunn, director of operations, Team Alberta.
The 2009 National Women’s U18 Hockey Championship will feature 18 games over five days, culminating with the gold medal game on Sunday, Nov. 8. The tournament is host to a total of eight teams, including Team Alberta, Ontario Blue, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Atlantic, British Columbia and five-time defending champions Ontario Red.
“There will probably be some future Olympians playing at this year’s National Women’s Under-18 Championship,” says Julie Healy, director of female hockey for Hockey Canada.
For more information on Team Alberta, please visit www.hockeyalberta.ca. |