Young female athletes from around Lethbridge gathered to learn about the game of hockey at the ATB Centre this past weekend.
The 2020 Female Hockey Day hosted by Hockey Alberta saw 140 girls sign up for the event.
The instructors taught young girls the fundamentals of the game including skating, passing, stick-handling and shooting. Parents encouraged their kids from the bench as they went through multiple drills. For one instructor, he hopes that the kids will participate in Female Hockey Day in the future.
“I have two young daughters. I don’t know if they are going to play hockey, but I hope that one day they do so that they can experience what it is like to be a female athlete,” said Stephen Pattison, Hockey Alberta instructor and coach.
The coach said he loves teaching girls of all age groups how to play hockey in a training camp designed specifically for females. He added there are only a couple of females in a group full of males during other hockey development camps.
Praises went to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns as head coach Doug Paisley, along with players Stephanie Gross, Rose Noonan and Victoria Rankin, participated in the event. Pattison said he believes having players from the Pronghorns helping in events like this is essential.
Stephanie Gross, first-year goalie for the Pronghorns, said playing collegiate hockey is a dream come true.
“It’s a huge accomplishment; a lot of girls dream of playing university hockey. It’s cool to be pursuing a degree and play hockey at the same time,” said Gross
The goalie added it was great to see all the young female players at the event as she believes these young girls look up to the Pronghorns. Gross said the day is important to help get more adolescent girls recruited for the future.
Women’s hockey recently took a big step forward as players from Canada and the United States participated in the National Hockey League All-Star festivities in St. Louis. The athletes showcased their skills in a three-on-three game as this was the first time women’s hockey was shown in that light during an NHL all-star game.
Alberta Hockey will be hosting the event again next year. For more information about future events, visit hockeyalberta.ca.