Before heading to next year’s Olympics in South Korea, the women’s national hockey team will put its skills on display in Red Deer.
Team Canada will take on the AAA midget Optimist Chiefs at the ENMAX Centrium Saturday at 7 p.m. as part of the National Women’s Team ESSO Series.
This will be the 10th game of the series for Team Canada, where it travels across Alberta taking on local AAA boys’ midget teams.
These games help the Canadian squad tremendously, said Haley Irwin, Team Canada forward.
“It’s been great so far,” said Irwin. “The guys are good hockey players and good hockey teams. They’re competitive, they show up every game and that’s been great for us.”
Irwin, who grew up in Ontario, but now lives in Calgary, said the ESSO Series can be a grind at times.
“We travel a lot on the bus, but luckily this week we haven’t had to go that far - just a couple hours. It makes it a little easier on our schedule,” she said.
The team arrived in Red Deer Friday afternoon and played a bit of ball hockey at the Collicutt Centre.
Meaghan Mikkelson, defender with Team Canada, said she is never surprised by the skill of the teams they play in the ESSO Series.
“Every game is going to be tough. They’re big, they’re fast and they really get up for the games against us. They want to bring their best to help us get better.
“The guys have given us some good competition and allowed us to work on some of the things we need to work on heading into the Olympics,” said Mikkelson.
Mikkelson, a St. Albert native, said she enjoys playing in Red Deer and Alberta.
“Just to be able to travel around my home province and to play against these guys has been a ton of fun,” she said.
The players they’ve played so far in the series have been very respectful and a huge part of the team’s journey, Mikkelson added.
Puck drop for Saturday’s game is 7 p.m. at the Centrium. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketsalberta.com.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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