At the year-end hockey awards banquet for the Tri-Port Female Program on April 5, the "Chicks With Sticks"
PeeWee girls' team were given the following awards:Most Improved Player Medallion - Emily Henschke.Most
Sportsmanlike Player Medallion - Marissa Ewen.Most Dedicated Player Medallion - Ashlyn Walker.Most
Improved Player Trophy - Emma Walkus.Most Sportsmanlike Player Trophy - Merrick Browne.Most Dedicated
Player Trophy - Chloe Noel."Chicks with Sticks" had a great season," said Lisa Brown, the Tri-Port Female
Hockey Coordinator. "Next season we are hoping to have enough interest to enter the PeeWee female team in
the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association's female rec league, similar to the midget Wild team."This
past season the Chicks with Sticks played in the local Tri-Port House league against the Port McNeill and Port
Hardy co-ed Atom teams. "Having structured games really helped with the girls' development and the level of
improvement was amazing," said Brown, adding that "If the team is able to play in the female rec league next
season it will be a really exciting opportunity for them. I really think the girls will enjoy it based on the
experience the Wild team had this season." With regards to the Tri-Port female hockey program in general, "We
are also hoping to expand our recruitment efforts into Port Hardy next season, by way of having a one practice
a week 'intro to hockey' option for new female players that are Novice to PeeWee aged," said Brown. "This will
be similar to the program we have been running in Port McNeill the past few years, but will be based out of the
Port Hardy rink. We will also continue to run the female intro to hockey program in Port McNeill, which practices
on Sundays 2:45-4:00 pm, during the hockey season." The intro to hockey program provides a structured but
fun atmosphere for young girls to try out hockey, with focus on confidence building and basic skill development.
If families are interested in finding out more about female hockey opportunities on the North Island, they are
welcome to call Brown at 250-956-2224.