Another 15 per cent jump in the number of players in the female hockey program of Cochrane Minor Hockey has called for the creation of yet another team, this time in the U11 division.
Lorne Bremner, director of female hockey operations, says that's been the typical increase they've experienced for the last six or seven years, and they now number 230.
"Even COVID didn't knock us back. We grew right through COVID. That's partly because of our summer and springtime programs. We're always doing extra development stuff."
They now have the entry-level Fluffy Purple Monsters, three teams in both U9 and U11, and two teams for U13 as well as U15 and U18 teams.
"As these girls move up, we're going to be adding more teams in the older divisions."
Bremner says they have an incredible crew of volunteers, more female coaches than ever, and have now added a second director position. Shawn Cathers has been named female development director.
Last spring, they held their first full-blown banquet.
"It was a great success. We had over 200 people at the banquet, made a lot of cash, and all of the cash went back into the program."
Player evaluations are currently underway. In mid-October, they'll be playing tiering games for the Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League. The regular season starts a few weeks later.
Last year, the female program became the Jr. Chaos to establish its own identity and further strengthen its connection with the Cochrane Chaos Junior female team.
"It's been great. The kids have bought into it, they want to be Junior Chaos."
