Athlete of the week: Charley Wing

Charley Wing is passionate about hockey.

She has been described as an amazing and driven goalie, as well as a positive female role model. And she feels lucky to be able to travel and play a sport that she loves with a special group of girls that she can call her family.

Charley, 16, started playing hockey at the age of four for the Timbits Tykes in Huntsville. She moved on to play first with the Huntsville Sting and is now with the North Bay Midget AA Ice Boltz.

When asked why she chose to be a goaltender, her response was truthful: “If you were to ask me this question when I first started off, the answer would have been ‘because I don’t like sitting on the bench.’ Now, I would say, it’s because as a goalie, I am able to be a kind of leader and a role model for my team that I don’t think I’d be if I were a player.”

Ice Boltz head coach, Jayde Wolfe, said, “Charley has been in North Bay now for five years playing girls hockey at the highest level. Every season, Charley continues to improve and become the goalie she is today. Not only is Charley a great goalie but she is fantastic student.”

Charley currently lives in North Bay and attends St. Joseph Scollard Hall.

“I believe that school always comes first no matter how important hockey is to me. I know that I will not be able to go far in hockey if I don’t have good grades as well,” she said. “I find hockey has almost helped me and my schooling because instead of sitting in my room studying for six hours, I can split it up and give my brain a break by going to practice or the gym.”

Charley Wing (Photo: Tracy Fowler, Family Tree Photography)

Charley Wing with goalie coach Dan Spence of 360 Goaltending in Orillia (Photo: Tracy Fowler, Family Tree Photography)

Charley displays confidence in her net and understands how to control the pace of the game for her team. She is very dedicated to developing her skills and wants to be pushed on and off the ice.

“Charley’s work ethic, passion, and drive to play hockey at the university level is a demonstration of her character,” added Wolfe. “I have been coaching Charley for four seasons and she has become a role model for the younger Ice Boltz hockey players.”

In 2015, Charley was the recipient of a Dara Howell Women into Sport Grant.

In future, she wants to play NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) or OUA (Ontario University Athletics) hockey. “That way I can continue to play high level hockey while receiving an education,” she said.

Charley’s leading stats with the North Bay Midget AA Boltz are a 19-8-3 win-loss record, with a goals against average (GAA) of 2.07 and a save percentage of 93 per cent. A fantastic start to the season, Charley!

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