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Mundare Cougars give back to Female Hockey
Mundare Cougars give back to Female Hockey
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The Mundare Cougars ladies hockey team gave back to female hockey in a big way by donating $2,500 to the Silverbacks, a Lamont based team that’s in its first year of operation in the Premier Hockey League.
Team Managers Steph Shaw and Crystal Yeske said they hope to be able to donate to a female hockey team every year, not only to promote the sport, but to encourage female hockey players to play the sport well into adulthood.
“Hopefully they’ll join our team.” Yeske and Shaw say it’s challenging to find female players to play adult hockey, but hope by supporting them and raising awareness locally that’s what will happen.
The Cougars team just tries to pick up games throughout the season, and this year they decided to participate in tournaments. Every Friday night they are at the arena in Mundare and could always use a few more players.
Shaw and Yeske say funds donated to the Silverbacks came from a men’s hockey tournament they organize and run at the end of March. The Cougars have been playing out of Mundare for the last five years and prior to that in Holden and Tofield.
Silverbacks Coach Barclay Leitch said this is the first year he’s coached the team that has 10 girls and six boys. Leitch is also hoping the donation will awareness and encourage girls to play hockey. “A lot of people don’t know there’s female hockey around here.” He also wants his two daughters to know there is something beyond what they’re playing right now.
This year is a development season, and Barclay’s goal is to get an all girls’ team playing next year. “I also hope to see my daughters coaching their kids one day.”
For the time being, Barclay and the other hockey parents are enjoying the camaraderie between the Silverbacks and Cougars as they share their love of the game.
