Girls’ hockey is growing in Huntsville

It’s that time of year again: hockey time. The ice is ready and team tryouts and registrations are taking place. For local girls, the options are better than ever.

Female hockey in North America is booming and the Huntsville Girls Hockey Association is proud to be part of the movement. The Huntsville Girls Hockey Association (HGHA) was founded in 1972 with only one competitive youth team. In the mid-1980s, the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) was formed and HGHA was one of the first associations to join. The Huntsville Senior Women’s competitive team, one of the longest existing teams in the OWHA, has continued to compete over the years and has won two provincial championships, most recently in 2016.

In 2012, youth girls were looking for an opportunity to play hockey, so the Huntsville Sting Peewee B team was formed. This team of girls continued on to play at the Bantam BB level the following season but did not continue after that. Some of these girls went on to play higher-level hockey – which HGHA was not able to offer – in other centres, including Ashley Ferrante and Charley Wing, who both play for the North Bay Ice Boltz Women’s Midget AA team. (Read more about Ferrante and Wing below.)

In February 2014, the Canadian Women’s Hockey team won the Olympic Gold. That fall, girls were calling wanting to join hockey in Huntsville but, unfortunately, there were not enough players to start a team in any of the age divisions.

Then, in 2015, Huntsville hosted the National U18 Women’s Championship which put a spotlight on women’s hockey for the entire community. Enough players were interested at the start of the 2015 hockey season to form three Huntsville Sting girls’ house league teams. With the support of the local minor association, they were granted special permission by the OWHA and OMHA (Ontario Minor Hockey Association) to play in the local minor hockey house league loop for one year.

The Huntsville Girls Hockey Association received funding from Hockey Canada and the OWHA which allowed them to host local women’s hockey development programs to help attract new players to the game. By the end of the 2015 season, the HGHA had five girls’ house league teams.

In 2016, with the assistance of OWHA, Huntsville Sting teams were granted a one year trial to play in the Simcoe-Muskoka girls’ house league loop. The HGHA has now been granted permanent membership in the league.

Huntsville Sting House League welcomes every girl who wants to play hockey

As the opening of the 2017 season approaches, HGHA currently has over 100 girls registered to make eight girls’ house league teams. Girls start as early as age four in Bumble Bees. At this age, players will focus on the development of skating and hockey skills in a fun and encouraging environment. The teams go up to Senior with some divisions having two teams (one yellow, the other black).

“Unfortunately, we are not able to offer competitive teams at this time, as our house league program is still early in its inception,” said Kerri Vallentin, HGHA Tournament Director and executive member on its Board of Directors. “The HGHA would like to grow into a competitive program eventually, however our current objective is to have a place for every girl who wants to play hockey.”

Presently, the HGHA’s focus is mainly on creating an interest and love for the sport, along with teaching players the fundamentals of the game and developing basic skills.

We are trying to build the association to create a lasting girls’ hockey program for the community. It has taken years to get where we are but hopefully the success will last for years to come.
Kerri Vallentin, HGHA Tournament Director

Vallentin has two daughters, Ashleigh and Ainslie, who play on HGHA teams. She has watched them grow over the years and has witnessed how being on a team builds friendships and confidence, encourages collaboration, and teaches fair play and respect, plus all of the physical benefits of fitness, endurance, strength, and coordination.

Playing hockey at the next level

There have been many local girls who have gone on to play beyond house league teams.

Two young girls from Huntsville – Ashley Ferrante and Charley Wing – now play for the North Bay Ice Boltz Midget AA team. They were both members of the Huntsville Otters (boys) and the Huntsville Sting (girls) teams.

After Ferrante played with the Otters, she went on to play for the Barrie AA Girls for her first year of Bantam. She has been with North Bay going on four years. Ferrante said she joined hockey to be part of a team and the best thing that she has learned over the years is that no matter what happens she always tries her best!

Her future goal is to play University/College or Junior hockey. When asked what she would say to younger girls who want to pursue hockey, she said, “Always try your hardest and never give up on your dreams, even if people say you can’t do it!”

Charley Wing, a goalie, has played on the Huntsville Sting Peewee and Bantam teams in Huntsville but wanted to explore more options to play at the AA level. Three years ago, she tried out for the North Bay Ice Boltz and earned herself a goalie position and she hasn’t looked back.

Wing started her hockey career at the age of four. She loves hockey because it puts her mind somewhere else. Wing said, “When I’m at the rink, I’m not thinking about what’s going on at school or what’s happening in my life. It’s great to be able to walk into an arena and forget about the outside world and just play hockey.”

Wing’s future goal is to play Division 1 hockey in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and get an education as well. Recently, Wing has had some Division 1 NCAA teams show some interest in her.

Ferrante and Wing could look to Huntsville’s Summer-Rae Dobson for inspiration. Dobson began studying at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania in August, playing for the school’s Division 1 hockey team on a full-ride scholarship.

Dobson came from a hockey family – her uncles played, her dad played, her brother played, and her mom, Connie, was on the local hockey board for eight years. From a young age, Summer-Rae was a “rink rat” which introduced her to the game very early.

The game taught Summer-Rae a lot, said Connie. “Not only is it a team play but the game has taught her a lot of life skills: discipline, responsibility, respect.”

Summer-Rae Dobson (left, #7) fires the puck on net during the Women’s U18 National Hockey Championships in Regina in November 2016 (submitted photo)

The road to high-level hockey wasn’t easy for Summer-Rae, though. She spent many hours commuting to play in Aurora while living in Huntsville, and left home at the age of 14 to board and play at Ridley College. “She had lots of ups and downs however she had a goal to make higher level hockey and she achieved it,” said Connie. “Her advice would be, if you love the game keep playing. You will meet great people along the way, you will learn many life lessons and you are playing a sport that you love.”

Looking to the future

Women’s hockey continues to develop across the country and around the world. The opportunities for female players to continue playing hockey through post-secondary education and beyond are growing with the availability of scholarships from the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) in the U.S. Women’s skill and athleticism in hockey are being acknowledged and recognized more and more often.

It’s exciting to see the revival of the Huntsville Girls Hockey Association and the opportunity for young girls to develop their skills with other girls their age. Growing female hockey in Huntsville and Muskoka allows for young girls to have older girls to look up to and follow through their hockey careers. Go, Sting, go!

The Huntsville Sting take to the ice starting next week. The Bumble Bees, Novice, Atom and Peewee all begin their practices on September 6 and Bantam and Midget teams begin on September 8. Registration is open for new players. For more information, visit huntsvillegha.ca.

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