Pregame nerves faded quickly after the opening faceoff as the U13AA Bow Valley Chaos played their first-ever game against the Calgary Fire White at Cochrane Arena last night.
There was plenty of support in the stands from parents, families and fans for a team that quickly realized it belongs at this higher level of the Alberta Female Hockey League.
Only one player — Ryan Butler, facing her former team — had previous experience at this level.
“The girls had a lot of nerves and didn’t really know what to expect from this league,” said head coach Sam McCulloch. “So I think the girls did amazing considering they’ve only played Chaos A or B hockey.”
McCulloch said the team appreciated the support from families and the minor hockey community.
“I saw a ton of older U15 girls and even girls who tried out for the team and didn’t make it, so the support from the town was awesome today.”
Emery Nickel scored the first goal for the Chaos in the exhibition game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and was later named the team’s player of the game.
After the game, the lobby buzzed with excitement while inside the dressing room, the chatter continued.
“Some of the girls were like, ‘Oh, we didn’t score on a power play at the very end,’ and it was like, ‘Hey, we don’t want to show them our best yet. We belong in here,’” McCulloch said.
The Chaos have a new look to distinguish them from other Chaos teams, a design spearheaded by Teah Leugner, Cochrane Minor Hockey’s vice-president of the female program.
“Teah did a ton of work on that, and we got to show the girls at tryouts,” McCulloch said. “We hung them up and said, ‘Hey, this is what you’re playing for.’ All the girls’ first reaction was, ‘Oh, that’s so cool.’ It was pretty amazing to see their reactions.”
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The Chaos have two more exhibition games before the regular season begins in October. On Sept. 16, they host Calgary Fire Black, and on Sept. 28, they head to Okotoks to play the Rocky Mt. Raiders.
