Five years ago, Asha Petrie was set to finish her minor hockey career on a high; lacing up to play her final year with the AAA U18 Lloydminster PWM Steelers.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the 2020-21 hockey season was cancelled.
Petrie and other players anticipating a regular year of games were disappointed, and those moving on from minor hockey were left with few options close to home.
“It was sad,” Petrie said.
“I did have some offers and opportunity to go down to the states, and also to SAIT who’s also in our league,” Petrie said.
During the lull, Steelers head coach Morgan Mann said he was acutely aware of what losing the season meant for his players.
And with the help of a dedicated team, Mann made a suggestion that changed the landscape of girls hockey in Lloydminster.
“Morg called me one day and he said ‘Asha, we’re trying to get a team,'” Petrie said.
“I said ‘Morg, I’m in. I’ll not go anywhere else and I’ll just put my trust in you to get this figured out.'”
Mann and others approached Lakeland College to pitch the idea for a women’s hockey program at the school, a place where the young talent grown in the city and surrounding area could aim to play.
“They decided they would take a chance on us,” said Mann.
“But the condition was there was no money to fund this team. We would have to fund it ourselves.”
Cashing in on community
For the past five years, the players and coaching staff of the Lakeland Rustlers women’s hockey team have raised enough money to cover ice rentals, travel costs and referee fees.
From raffle ticket sales to hosting hockey camps across the prairies, raising money is a team effort.
“It takes a lot of hard work. We don’t have complainers on our team,” said Petrie.
“We don’t get stuff paid for us or just handed to us. We have to work for what we get.”
Community organizations and local businesses have stepped up to become sponsors, footing the bills for jerseys and workout clothes.
Tess Wack is the director of marketing and community relations for the Lloydminster & District Co-op. Wack said the co-op has been supporting the team since year one, and values the team’s commitment to the city.
Women’s hockey is growing across Canada and Lloydminster is no exception. The Lakeland Rustlers women’s team brought the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference title home last year, but it was fundraising and community support that got them there. And now, they’re hoping to do it again, this time in a brand new home. CBC’s Lexi Freehill takes us there.
“They’re not just a hockey team who plays hockey and goes home. They really are part of our community, which is fabulous to see,” Wack told CBC News.
“They’re always willing to step up and go that extra mile.”
Players also participate in fundraising on an individual level; under the ‘Adopt-a-Rustler program,’ team members have to find their own individual sponsors, often from their home communities outside of Lloydminster.
Alan Rogan, athletic director for Lakeland College, said the institution provides financial support for the team in the form of student scholarships and access to further government grants.
He said working to cover nearly 100 per cent of the program’s operational costs is a learning experience in itself for the players, experience with a pay out in their future careers.
“Being part of a team teaches those soft skills that are so important when you get into life,” Rogan told CBC News.
“You have to win with class, lose with grace, you have to work as a team.
“They have that knowledge they’ve been able to absorb through participating in sport.”
Success on and off the ice
The Rustlers are one of six teams in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women’s hockey league, and compete against teams from Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Olds.
“There was some talk, like, ‘How can you ever recruit a strong enough team if you’re not giving big scholarships, you’re not giving sticks, you’re asking your players to pay a fee?'” said Mann.
But those concerns proved unfounded.
Last year, only their third in the league, the Rustlers took home the ACAC conference title after hitting a 13-game win streak, tying their own record of 116 goals scored in regular season, and set a record for most goals scored in a final series at 14.
“Having a good group and hard working people and playing for the right reasons and being involved in your community, the by-product is winning,” said Mann.
“We believed in it right from the start.”
And this season, the Rustlers are hoping to do it all again — this time, from the new $101 million Cenovus Energy Hub.
“The past four years, it’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of hours in the community and on the ice,” said Petrie.
“I feel like we really proved ourselves to the community that we do deserve this.”
Rogan said while the girls work toward another successful season, the college is considering how to implement community funding and new methods of revenue generation into its other sports programs. The challenge, he said, is ensuring the model stays viable.
“Lloydminster is a city [with] very generous businesses and a generous community, but it’s a smaller city,” he said.
“Is there a way we can get to balance? You bet … but we’re not there yet.”
Source link
