The weekend long provincial tournament for the girl’s Midget league hockey took place March 16, 17, and 18 for the gold medal win between five provincial teams at the Communiplex in Meltia. The Hamiota Huskies took first place for gold, with Notre Dame in second for silver, and Neepawa in third with the bronze medal.
All of the coaches agree this year the teams were very close. The league games leading up to provincials were usual only won by a point or two difference. No one could predict a winner this year going in with those scores, it would be up to the girls who would win and the take home that gold medal.
Duane Kent, one of the Hamiota girls coaches, has been teaching hockey to the team for over eight years. His daughter, Kara Kent, has been teaching the whole time she been on the team. This year there are four girls graduating who won’t be returning next year. The team goal at the beginning of the year was to get a gold medal for the league tournaments, well they have one now for the provincials, are playing the same team, Notre Dame, Wednesday, the 21, for the league title, and may just win gold. That would be two gold medals, a nice way for the graduating girls to end the year.
Kent says coaching the girls has been a lot of fun. “They are all about the fun and music in the dressing room but when it comes to playing hockey their quite competitive. They like to win and they are willing to put the work into it.”
It makes me wonder if he was listening at the door, he likely couldn’t resist it it sounded like so much fun and wanted to be in there with them.
The girls playing at this age are very dedicated, they travel an hour at times to be at practice, if they don’t like it, or don’t want to, they’re not on the team anymore, so it consists of girls willing to go the distance just to be there.
As far as Notre Dame is concerned, Kent said, “We’ve played each other so often in the last little bit that things are starting to get nasty. We’d like to be done with them. We’ve beaten them the last three games that they have played with us, so we’re hoping they are used to it and we can carry on. That’s our plan.”
