Hockey brings us together, from pre-game huddles to celebrating after the final buzzers.
We are united through the love of hockey, and that was brought in focus at a very special event at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex.
On Sunday, February 18, the Warman U15A Wildcats had an opportunity to host the North East Aces in a Global Girls Game as part of a world-wide celebration of girls hockey.
The IIHF Global Girls’ Game originated in 2015, a unique event that was created to unite the hockey community by having players from around the globe all playing in the same game. The goal is to unite all females currently playing hockey as one global family. The Global Game embodies the spirit of enjoyment, teamwork, and collaborating with those from diverse backgrounds.
The 2024 edition of the Global Girls’ Game was played Feb. 16-18, 2024. with players rom New Zealand to Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In Canada over 400 participants laced up from Marystown, Newfoundland and Labrador to Whistler, British Columbia. From Yellowknife to Montreal, they all submitted their scores to combine into one final tally from Canada.
In the Warman game, spectators in attendance were entertained as the teams battled to a hard-fought, well-played 2-2 tie. Warman forward Teagan Prpich brought the home crowd to their feet when she netted her second goal of the game in the final minutes to even the score.
Warman head coach Joe Garchinski was pleased to see the number of people there to witness the game and talked about what the event meant. “Everyone was really excited to be a part of the IIHL girls hockey game today,” said Garchinski. “You could see it on the faces of the girls coming into the rink. The excitement in the dressing room to get a late last minute goal to tie it up was pretty special.”
For Warman assistant coach Jesse Reis, the game had a double significance. He had a daughter playing in the U15A game and another daughter playing in the U7 game held in the first intermission.
“For my daughters this means the world to me,” said Reis. “You want the same opportunities for your girls as your boys. I had a chat in the locker room about how important this game is. We had a chat about how many girls in there had to play with boys; not a bad thing. They do that because they are trying to do something they love, breaking those barriers, but it is hard. They are so brave to do that.
“It’s great to have something like this to celebrate the girls’ achievements. I can see my youngest watch my oldest do this, and that drives her that she wants to do it.
“Our girls need to see girls being successful.”
The game wrapped up the Sask Female Hockey League U15A regular season. The Wildcats finished in second place in the North East Division with nine wins, five losses and six ties for 24 points. They earned a bye for the first round of the playoffs and await their opponent.