It’s the time of year where youth from all over Saskatchewan prepare for provincial-wide tournaments and, of course, for the Saskatchewan Winter Games.
This year, several youth from the town of Kindersley will join teams at a provincial level—some will head for the Saskatchewan Winter Games, others for the Bantam Hockey SaskFirst Tournaments.
After attending the Saskfirst Bantam Regional camps in the beginning of December, Tylin Hilbig and Logan Linklater from Kindersley were selected to join 160 players across Saskatchewan for the Male Bantam Hockey SaskFirst Tournaments.
These 160 players were selected province-wide, 80 from communities from the North of Saskatchewan, and 80 from the South. Out of the mass of youth that attended the north region camp, Hilbig and Linklater made the cut to the top 80 attendees. Several other communities in our area that join Kindersley in the North section of Saskatchewan include Rosetown, Kerrobert, Macklin, Fiske and Unity.
The SaskFirst Tournaments are held in conjunction by the Saskatchewan Hockey Association and by the SaskFirst Program. In this program, both Hilbig and Linklater will participate in at least two tournaments, one in the last week of December (28 – 30), and a spring tournament from April 12- 15. The complete schedule and final team rosters have yet to be released.
According to their website, the SaskFirst Program was first started in 1988 by the SHA and was “designed to provide a better understanding of the game as well as to promote the development of quality players, coaches, trainers, officials and administrators. The participants are enriched as individuals and can achieve self-satisfaction and enjoyment as part of the hockey community.”
Carter Cormier and Ethan Hilbig will both be representing Kindersley in the Rivers West male hockey team at the Saskatchewan Winter Games, while Shelby Rublee, Gracie Georget, and Hailey Gray will be the female reps for Kindersley in the female Rivers West hockey team.
The tryout camp for the Team Rivers West was on the first weekend of December, held in Elrose, SK. Both boys made the 20-man team, Cormier as a Forward, and Hilbig as Defence. For the 20-man female hockey team, Rublee is a part of the defence, and Gray and Georget are both forwards. Both teams under Rivers West currently hold players from several other communities besides Kindersley, such as Rosetown, Biggar, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake, and North Battleford.
The team’s big week will be from February 18 – 24 in North Battleford. The male hockey team will in the NB Civic Centre & Don Ross Arena for their games from February 18-21 and the female hockey teams will also be in the Don Ross Arena as well as in the Battleford Arena from February 21-24.
The 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games 2018 are an incredible way to see winter at its best. According to the Saskatchewan Games website, “The event will showcase some of the area’s best facilities with 1,800 of the province’s top young athletes competing in 17 sports. This athletic and cultural showcase is the top multi-sport experience in Saskatchewan and will be an event like no other.”
I wish all of our Kindersley youth a great experience and the best of luck as they represent Kindersley at a provincial level.
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