After a lot of hard work by some dedicated people, the communities of Ile des Chenes and Ste. Anne are combining to bring a new team to the Manitoba Women's High School Hockey League.
"We were accepted into the Manitoba Women's High School Hockey League this year," explains Ryan Dreger, a member of the parent committee which helped get the team off the ground. "We've put together a co-op between Ecole Pointe-Des-Chenes and Gabrielle-Roy, that's Ste. Anne and Ile des Chenes, the two schools are going to work together and they're going to compete this year in the league."
After putting in the effort, Dreger says to have the dream become a reality is huge. "It was awesome," he says with a smile. "We've been trying for a couple of years to get this going and I don't think we really knew what it was going to take. I know we have a really good parent committee set up this year and we got out well ahead of this. We were hitting all the marks and we wanted to make sure we gave the girls an opportunity to play in the league. Some of my fondest memories from high school was representing my school. Any time you can put athletics and academics together, it's a win-win for everybody."
To be welcomed into the league, a number of different things had to be set, including where the home games will be played. "So we're really excited, we were able to secure six home games in Ile des Chenes and six games in Ste. Anne," Dreger says proudly.
When it comes to building a roster, Dreger says they have a pretty good idea when it comes to numbers. "We did an initial survey go out and we think there's about 26 girls that are interested. Obviously, those girls are trying out and competing for other regional teams, so we'll have to wait and see what our numbers are. This year in April, there was a Manitoba Women's High School Hockey League rookie showcase and between our two schools, there was 13 grade 9 and 10 students that represented at the event."
As women's hockey continues to grow, Dreger says it's pretty special to see communities coming together to give more young athletes a chance to play. "I've got two daughters and to have them come up through minor hockey, people in this area have really stepped up. It's changed a lot over the last ten years that I've been involved, it's grown every year and giving them more options is just great for them going forward."
The first coach has already been named and Dreger says it's someone who brings a lot of hockey knowledge and experience. "Kevin Lansard has agreed to be the head coach of the team next year. Last year, he coached the U15 AA Sharks out of the Eastman region. We're thrilled to have him, he's a great coach with a great reputation."
Another detail that's already been nailed down is the team name. "We're going to go with the name, 'Cavs', which is the school mascot for Pointe-Des-Chenes. I think we're going to follow in the boys footsteps, they also have a co-op and we're going to fly the same flag as them."
It's a bright future for the Winnipeg Women's High School Hockey League that really excites Dreger as this team can be around for a while. "It's great for girls, especially this age. No late nights, not a lot of weekends and it gives them an opportunity to play other high school sports, to work and to focus on their studies."
Game one can't come soon enough and Dreger says the hype has many excited. "The players are ready to go, there's been a lot of excitement for many years. There's a student, Anastasia Boge, she's been really trying to push this through for a lot of years, we just haven't got it right for her, but I think all around, parents and players are pretty pumped to see the puck drop."