By Kristi Patton /
The St. Albert Slash Midget ‘AAA’ female hockey squad has set out a very long-term goal this season.
In fact, the goal is set so far away they will not even see it through until after the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League playoffs.
As hosts of the Western Canadian Midget Championships, the Slash also get a shot to be the best in the west no matter what their league playoff outcome is.
“There is really a good buzz in the community and within the association. We are really excited to have the opportunity to host the Western Canadian Midget Championships in Alberta,” said Dean Hengel, who is the GM and one of the assistant coaches of the Slash as well as a part of the organizing committee for the April championships.
“Already there is fairly good awareness of the Western’s six months out.”
The Western Canadian Midget Championships include teams from Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Saskatchewan that have won their league titles that will playoff in a tournament format for the Western title.
The Slash Midget ‘AAA’ female program has been around four years and the coaches say they have had great sponsor support and have seen the program becoming more popular each year.
“We are really grateful to Kal-Tire for their ongoing sponsorship since the inaugural season in the AMMFHL. The support they have put in place has given the team the confidence that they can garner corporate support to stage a successful championship and they have really stepped up their financial commitment this year,” said Hengel.
A couple of strong seasons right out of the gate in the AMMFHL, including a trip to the league finals two years ago has helped build excitement around the Slash program.
“Absolutely it has. We have seen the skill level go up. It’s incredible the change over the four years. This year at training camp we had 39 athletes. That first year we had 20, maybe,” said head coach Terry Sydor.
Although the Slash is young as a program, they hold many traditions including the selection of captains at their year-end banquet held in the spring.
“We want to make sure over the summer we have that leadership in place so when we get to training camp those roles are clearly defined,” said Sydor.
The leap from bantam to midget AAA can be a large one for most players because of the higher skill level that is expected and the speed of the game. Sydor feels his group of leaders this year have more than enough experience to help the almost 50 per cent of the players who are new to the Slash this season.
“There is a lot of pressure that goes with being the host team for the Western’s. Our team captain Danielle Baxter is a true leader who is always supportive and encouraging her teammates. She is extremely organized and has an attention to detail so everything is always done the way it should be and she makes sure everyone is always prepared,” said Sydor of his Slash captain.
Also wearing the letters are Jennifer Matichuk, Erin Davidson, Jayden Skoye and Sinead Tracey.
Tracey and Davidson are three-year Slash veterans who helped the team make it to the finals just a few seasons ago. Sydor said the duo help set the work ethic on the team by being very intense on the ice. Skoye is the type of leader who is constantly talking on the bench and ice to keep her teammates motivated.
“Matechuk probably is the most skilled. She is a very tough player that battles hard. She has the talent to set up pretty goals but is still a gritty player and her teammates respect her skill, grit and determination,” said Sydor.
The Slash have hit the ice this season with a rough start losing their opening games but the journey for them is expected to be a long one of playing hockey right until April.
“We are looking at this season as a voyage. We are all on this ship together whether that will be smooth sailing or stormy seas. We don’t know how far we will go this year in our league but we do know exactly when our last event that we will be competing is so we are building and preparing for that,” said Sydor. |