Ontario girls’ hockey squad shoot to edge out reigning tournament champs
By Sam Laskaris
MISSISSAUGA—For the second consecutive year, Cailen Hanzlik will be a member of the Ontario girls’ squad that will participate in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC).
The 15-year-old goalie is expected to have a considerably bigger role with this year’s squad.
Hanzlik, a member of the Nipissing First Nation, was an alternate on the Ontario club that captured the silver medal at the 2016 NAHC, staged in Mississauga. Though she did dress as the backup for two contests, Hanzlik did not see any ice time.
Hanzlik is expected to have plenty of playing time at this year’s NAHC, which runs May 1-6 in the British Columbia region of Cowichan Valley.
The national tourney features Bantam (13-14) and Midget (15-17) players.
As in recent years, the 2017 Canadian tournament will feature 16 entrants. There will be eight clubs competing in the girls’ division and eight squads entered in the boys’ category.
Hanzlik is one of five Anishinabek players named to the Ontario girls’ roster.
The club’s lineup includes forward Lily George, who is also from Nipissing First Nation.
The other Anishinabek athletes on the roster include forward Melanie Young from Dokis First Nation, and Britney Zack from Garden River First Nation, who plays defence.
And it remains to be seen whether Patty Huff-Henry, from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, will get to play as she was chosen as an alternate for the club.
Hanzlik is one of six players on the Ontario team that spent the past season with the North Bay Ice Boltz Midget AA club.
“I think it will be a big help that a lot of us know each other,” Hanzlik said.
Team Ontario has settled for the silver medal in each of the past two NAHC. Saskatchewan has captured gold the past three years.
“We’re hoping to beat Saskatchewan this year,” Hanzlik said.
Young, who will be competing in her third NAHC, also said her side will be gunning for top spot at the B.C. tournament.
“The goal is to win the championship this year,” she said.
The Saskatchewan roster last year included star forward Delaney Ross, who was participating in her sixth NAHC. Ross, who is no longer eligible to play in the event, spent the past season with the Ottawa-based Carleton University Ravens women’s team.
Ross scored the only goal in Saskatchewan 1-0 triumph over Ontario in the 2016 gold-medal game.
“I can only imagine they’d be a little weaker without her now,” Hanzlik said.
Young believes the fact that a large number of the Ontario players have already participated in at least one national tournament will be a huge plus.
“I think that’s going to be good,” she said of not only herself, but of several of her teammates having previous tournament experience. “We’ll be able to teach our rookies what to expect.”
Hanzlik, George, Young, and Zack were all members of the North Bay Ice Boltz this season.
Huff-Henry played for the southwestern Ontario-based Bluewater Hawks’ Bantam A squad.