She Shoots… She Scores! at Gretzky Tournament

By Casandra Turnbull

The Walter Gretzky Girls Hockey Tournament welcomed nearly 2,000 athletes to Brantford last weekend for some fast-paced action.

A total of 106 teams from across Ontario competed in the annual event which featured 219 games of Canada's favourite sport. Teams played at various rinks in Brantford and Brant County, including 15 local teams representing Brantford and area players in a variety of divisions. The on-ice talent included teams from a wide range of ages - U9 to U22 - in rep and house league categories. Several volunteer appreciation gifts were handed out to three different teams recognizing the incredible efforts of volunteer coaches, said Lisa Wallis who convened the tournament along with Ben Gagnon The entire tournament, which fills up within days of opening up, is run entirely by volunteers.

"A Huge thank you to all our volunteers and sponsors as we cannot run a successful tournament without all of your help," said Wallis.

Brantford's U13B team hosted a cupcake sale during the tournament with proceeds going to the SPCA, which was just one heart warming story that emerged from the tournament. The tournament, which ran from February 24 - 26, was the second tournament since Walter's passing in March 2021 at the age of 82. Walter's memory is always front and centre throughout the weekend as people remember the legendary hockey dad.

Brantford's U15A team won their division and Brantford's U22 House League team finished in second place Organizers said it was another excellent tournament filled with lots of talent that really emphasized the popularity of girls' hockey in Canada.