College hockey scouts made the trip to Wilcox, to take in high level girls hockey at the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, Dec. 7-10, 2017.
“We don’t sugar coat it, we let them know, ‘hey, this is big’,” said Gregory Slobodzian, Head Coach, Saskatoon Stars, during an interview on Sunday.
The 7th annual Midget AAA girls hockey tournament brings in teams from all over Western Canada. It’s an opportunity for the young athletes to play in front of a large crowd, and some interested scouts.
"It’s an exciting time to be able to showcase their efforts to the scouts. A lot of teams from other provinces, this is the highlight of their year, they get pretty excited to come out,” said Tegan Schroeder, Notre Dame Coach and Event Coordinator.
This year’s event includes teams from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Players compete in front of scouts and coaches from schools all across North America.
"There's plenty of scouts from NCAA schools, CIS(U Sports) schools. It’s important that the girls who want to continue with their hockey play good at this time, because they don't get many chances to watch them,” said Slobodzian.
The competing teams are a mixture of Midget AAA and Jr. Women’s hockey teams. For many, it’s the tournament they have been focusing on all season long.
“Everyone really looks forward to it and gets excited. In the dressing room before practices, everyone’s getting ready for it, and trying to prepare themselves for this,” said McKenna Parker, Captain, Saskatoon Stars.
"Everyone eats, sleeps, and breaths hockey here so it’s nice to have it be female hockey that’s showcased,” said Schroeder.
A total of 40 games were played during the tournament, where players hoped their performance was good enough to turn some heads.
With files from Josh Diaz
