Virden’s Karissa Kirkup is very excited about today.
The daughter of Kary and Suzanne Kirkup is suiting up for the University of Manitoba women’s hockey team against the University of Regina in an exhibition game today, Sept. 8, at 7:00 p.m., at Tundra Oil and Gas Place. The U Sports exhibition contest will be preceded by a 4:00 p.m. tilt between Kirkup’s former midget AAA squad, the Westman Wildcats, and the Regina Rebels.
“My goal since I started playing hockey was to play at the university level,” Kirkup wrote in an email interview. “All through high school, the Westman Wildcats helped me achieve my goal. The thing I am looking forward to most is playing in front and sharing this experience with my friends and family during my fifth year so I can show them what I have been up to for all of these years.”
The two games are a great opportunity for area sports fans to watch high quality women’s hockey. Kirkup, who spent the first two seasons of her university career in the United States, believes fans will be pleased with the U Sports action.
“When watching the game, I think most people will be most impressed with the compete level as well as the speed of the game,” wrote Kirkup, whose brother Tyler plays in the Tundra and Oil Gas Place for the Virden Oil Capitals. “Our team as a whole came into the season in great shape, and I am really excited to show Virden and the surrounding area who I have been playing with for the past two years.
Kirkup is not the only player who will have friends and family in the Virden arena. The Wildcats draw from the Westman area, while the U of R Cougars include former Wildcats as well as ex-Yellowhead Chiefs.
“I’m looking forward to being able to play so close to home where it’s so accessible to my family and friends and they have the opportunity to come watch,” wrote Cougars forward Sam Geekie, who is from Stathclair, in a social media interview. “It’s also nice because my gramps (Bill Geekie) has never seen me play at this level and this gives him a chance to watch.”
Bisons head coach Jon Rempel said he’s excited to bring his team to a great area for female hockey in the province.
“Westman has always been and continues to be a great place for female development in our province and we are really pleased that we are able to play in the great venue they have in Virden,” he wrote in an email interview. “Also it will be exciting for Karissa Kirkup to play a university level game in her hometown in her fifth and final year of eligibility.”
Rempel sees the day as a way to highlight the female side of the sport.
“It will be a really good opportunity to showcase female hockey in this province as the Westman Wildcats play right before us so it will give both Sarah Hodges (U of R coach) and I a chance to see them and their opposition play and then our hope is that those players will stick around to see our game to see what a high level Canada West has to offer.”
Game Notes:Bob Senff is slated to perform the national anthem for both games. Oil Caps announcer Kurt Ardon will work the university game. UMFM 101.5 will be covering the university game.
