With a new coach at the helm, the Airdrie Lightning AA midget women’s hockey team is busy preparing for the upcoming season.
Though the Alberta Female Hockey League’s (AFHL) Midget Elite league does not kick off until mid-October, the Lightning’s preseason preparations are underway, as prospects undergo a conditioning camp and tryout process.
Airdrie’s new bench boss, 26-year-old Shayla Katrick, took over the reins from Jay Simpson this summer.
“I’m looking forward to developing the girls, helping them both on the ice and off the ice, with their character development,” said Katrick, who played AAA midget hockey for the Calgary Chaos and the Calgary Flyers.
“If they’re interested in playing AAA next year, or college or university, I want to help them develop for that and help them get that kind of opportunity.”
Though her involvement with the Lightning is still new, Katrick said she likes what she has seen from the prospects. She added there are just six returnees from last season, meaning it will be a mostly new roster this year.
“They’ve been respectful and fun to work with,” she said. “They’re hard-working – you ask them to do something and they give it everything they have without complaining.”
The Lightning is coming off a decent season, having finished fourth in the AFHL Midget Elite’s South Division with a 15-11 record.
However, the team faltered in playoffs and was ousted in the first round against the Dewinton-based Rocky Mountain Raiders – a team the Lightning had beaten in all four games during the regular season.
While player and team development will be a priority, Katrick said, improving on last season’s placement is another focus.
“I hope we have a long run this year, and it would be cool to go further than the team did last year, if possible,” she said. “I’m hoping they have fun, too, and work hard.”
According to Katrick, the team’s roster will be finalized Sept. 21. Following that, the Lightning is slated to play three exhibition games, including a home-and-away series with the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs Sept. 28 and 29.
The players will have plenty of time to develop chemistry following those early tilts, as the regular season does not kick off until the Oct. 18 weekend, when the team travels north to face the Lloydminster Elite Steelers, the Peace Country Storm and the St. Albert Sharks.
After taking on those three North Division teams, Airdrie’s home opener will follow Oct. 25 at 8 p.m., when the Lightning face off against the Calgary Fire Red at Genesis Place Recreation Centre. The two teams had a solid rivalry last year, with the Fire Red overtaking the Lightning in three of the teams’ four fixtures. The Lightning finally got the better of the Calgary team in overtime in the final game of the regular season.
For a full schedule of the Lightning’s 2019-20 schedule, visit midgetelite.afhl.ca
