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A couple of years ago, goaltender Sydney Martin was home in Watson without a place to play hockey.
Fast forward a couple of years later, Martin is now one of the top goalies in the Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League (SJFHL) in her second season with the Outlook Mainline Ice Hawks.
This season, Martin led the SJFHL during the regular season in wins (9), and SV% (.948), while finishing second in shutouts (4), third in GAA (1.35) and helped the Ice Hawks to first place in the standings during the regular season.
The Ice Hawks claimed first place in dramatic fashion on Saturday as Martin made 36 saves to earn the shutout as Outlook blanked the Regina Junior Rebels 3-0 in the final game of the regular season on Saturday.
After a year on the sidelines, Martin is showing that determination can turn adversity into triumph.
She began playing hockey at the age of 3, playing both girls and boys hockey with teams in the region including Watson and Muenster and played with the East Central Fillies before moving into AA hockey.
But after graduating from AA hockey, Martin was without a hockey home, which was something she wasn’t happy about.
“It really sucked,” said Martin, “I really missed it, that was my life since I was three.”
The SJFHL began in the fall of 2023 and is currently in its second season, Martin said during her final year playing AA hockey, she knew a junior league was a possibility as Sask Hockey contacted prospective players with a survey to gauge interest in a junior league, but it was still far from a sure thing.
After the formation of the SJFHL, Outlook was one of the first communities to be awarded a franchise, so the goaltender elected to try out there and she immediately felt it was the right choice.
“I liked the small-town community, and it was just it seemed like a more tight knit kind of thing compared to playing in the city.”
In her first season with Outlook, Martin had a 3-7 record with 2.81 GAA and a .921 SV% (which led the league in 23-24). The Ice Hawks finished in fourth place, before ascending to the top spot this year. The Watson product credits her team for helping her this season.
“Just the energy of our team, this year is different and that really helps me in that and with my confidence and everything.”
Being on a team with players from different communities can be intimidating, but Martin has enjoyed the experience in Outlook.
“It's really interesting being a part of a whole different team, like everyone from different places. Most of us haven't played hockey together, so it's pretty nice.”
Currently living in Saskatoon while attending university, Martin says it’s not too difficult playing away from home.
“It's not much different for me and my parents still come to every game like we have a lot of support.”
As a 2004-born player, Martin has one more season of eligibility remaining in the SJFHL before graduation, at this time she’s not sure what the future will bring.
“I haven't really had any offers or opportunities for that, so I'm not quite sure right now. Obviously if I got reached out to about playing, I would love to, but I don't like the thought of not playing again. So, I would love to.”
With a first-place finish in the SJFHL standings, the Ice Hawks have received a bye in the first round of the playoffs and now await their opponent in the second round.