This past weekend was like any other weekend for most, but for the city's girls hockey players, it was a weekend of their own.
The Yk Minor Hockey Association joined in with hundreds of other associations around the planet for World Girls Hockey Weekend. The weekend has been organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation since 2011 and is designed to grow the female game around the world.
Yellowknife's contribution was overseen by Liz West, the Yk Minor Hockey Association's director of girls programs.
She said the goal this year was to effect what's known as a “skill surge,” which is essentially a high-intensity practice.
“That's what Hockey Canada recommended for this year,” she said. “It's like a normal practice but very high energy.”
Hockey Canada also provided swag in the form of a buff for everyone who took part, she added.
Some of the older players in the junior female division helped out with the on-ice activities as well as decorating the dressing room and even providing cupcakes for the girls after practice was over.
“It was all about having fun, that's the goal,” said West.
The youth girls program is a bit different this year in that there are no more age categories for the younger groups. There are two teams – Midnight Sun and DT Electric – with each team having a different focus depending on where the girls are in development.
“We decided to go for skill over age this season so the girls can go in either group based on their skill level,” said West. “The Midnight Sun group is for those who need a bit of extra work and the DT Electric group is for those who are a bit more advanced.”
There is a large group of younger girls playing hockey this year, said West, and the hope is that they stick with it.
“We have 78 girls playing in the association this season,” she said. “We had a huge gap in prior years between the numbers of boys and girls but the fact that we have a big number this year makes it exciting for the future.”
So much so that there could be some all-female teams coming down the pipeline, she added.
“Dan Schofield coached a junior girls team one season and they did amazing,” she said. “I think we could see some all-girls teams if the girls stick with it.”