Blazing season for local ringette teams

By Mario Prusina Times Editor

Local players on the Zone 2 AA Blazers ringette teams have had a success season, with a pair of squads winning a provincial championship.

Locklyn Hayes, Kaylee Lester, Hayden Paschal and Hayden Darago of Strathmore captured provincial gold with the U14AA Blazers and will represent Team Alberta at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships in Saskatoon from March 18–21.

Meanwhile Rina Greenslade, Addison Hazelwood, Kyla Koester, and Jenna Herriot, along with Brooklyn Munro of Rockyford, of the U19AA Blaze won provincials and will head to the Canadian Ringette Championships in Ottawa from March 31 to April 5.

The U16AA Blaze competed in one of the most impressive and talented divisions, battling hard in every game and demonstrating remarkable skill, teamwork, and resilience. Kendall Lester, Avery Clark and Kalie Croft of Strathmore, along with Jaden Nelson of Standard represented the area on the U16AA Blaze.

“(It was) a sense of relief and overwhelming pride,” said U14AA head coach Tim Smith. “We had 56 wins and only one loss the entire season; we had a team that excelled from the first game of the year to the last. The girls had a target on their back in every game and tournament we played this season. The fear I had was that others would improve at a greater rate than us and we would not be the same dominant team at the end of the season as we were at the start. I am very proud of the team that we were able to not only maintain our advantage but probably extend in some areas. To have that type of consistency for over six months at the highest level of play is a real feather in the cap of each player on the team.”

The U14AA started the season in the Rusty Ring tournament and won all six games, so by a wide margin. The team also went on to win the St. Albert Turkey Ring, Saskatoon BPM tournament, and the Calgary Golden Ring tournament. They knew right away they had a great team.

The turning point in the season came during a tournament a half dozen weeks into the season.

“The one loss that we had in the season, which was in November, really moved us forward. We outshot the team 68-24 and came up short,” said Smith. “This lesson was hard for the team due to it being a gold medal game in a tournament, but it also was a wakeup call to let our team know that nothing is a certainty in sport, and we must find a way to hopefully not let that happen again.”

Luckily, they didn’t, winning all the games afterwards.

“I am fortunate to have a great leadership team including the other coaches, that as simple as it sounds, just love the game,” said Smith. “We had amazing consistency in work ethic, game play and team dynamics throughout the year. It was a truly special season with so much success on and off the ice. Strathmore Ringette should be very proud of their hometown athletes that contributed so much to our success.”

Meanwhile, the U19AA achieved great success in the biggest games. Despite not being a top-ranked team heading into provincial, the Blaze elevated their game.

“I was just so excited and so proud of this team – we faced a lot of adversity this season and grew so much as individuals and as a group,” said coach Jenna Garner. “Coming into provincials we were the sixth-ranked team, so coming out first was an incredible achievement, and felt so deserved. The competition in Alberta is very strong, and our team truly earned every second of the success we claimed, not only in the final game, but all weekend long.”

Despite having a young team and a new coaching staff, Garner said it took some time to sort out the team dynamics and for the first year players to settle into the pace of U19AA. The big turning point was following a dominant performance at the Esso Golden Ring tournament in January, where the Blaze went 6-0 and won the gold. 

According to Garner, the team started to believe they had what it took to win and started to eye a provincial championship.

“This team has so much heart and grit,” said Garner, who grew up in Rockyford. “I may be biased, but I truly believe that Zone 2, and our team in particular, is home to some of the most resilient, strong, and passionate players in all of Alberta. Despite all the challenges we faced this season, this team has developed such a strong bond – their chemistry is incredible and has been a huge reason for our success.”

The Zone 2 AA program brings together athletes from Airdrie, Cochrane, Indus, Standard, Strathmore, Rockyford and Okotoks, combining top players from these associations to form a regional team that competes at Alberta’s highest level of ringette for their age group.

For athletes from smaller communities east, north and south of Calgary, the program provides an opportunity to develop and compete at an elite level while still representing the associations where their ringette journeys first began.

Several players on the Blaze roster first learned the sport in local arenas throughout Wheatland County and surrounding communities before earning their place on these highly competitive teams. Their success at the provincial level reflects the dedication of athletes, coaches and volunteers, as well as the strength of grassroots ringette programs across the region.