The U18 AA Female North East Aces host the Prince Albert Foxes in Kinistino. (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW Staff)

By Ben Tompkins

HDIS

‘Hockey Week in Kinistino’ kicks off with all-female clash

Jan 17, 2024 | 3:33 PM

Apparently, pocket Foxes are better than pocket Aces, or at least they were on Tuesday night in Kinistino.

Hockey Week in Kinistino officially began on Tuesday night, as the first of 12 hockey games was played as a lead-up to the official Hockey Day in Saskatchewan, which takes place on Saturday.

In what was an all-female matchup in U18 AA action, it was the Prince Albert Foxes who came away with a 3-1 win over the home crowd favourite North East Aces.

“I thought that we were fighting it; they had us on the ropes for the first while and our girls managed to battle through and come out of the first tied,” explained Foxes head coach, Scott Reed.

“We were then able to battle through and get a lead late and put the pressure on them and kind of hang on some good play from our goaltender at the end who kept us with a two-goal lead, which was nice.”

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The Foxes’ netminder on the night was James Smith Cree Nation resident Sharon Head, who stopped 29 of 30 shots for the victory.

Reed added it was a great opportunity for Head and the rest of the team to be a part of such a great event.

“It was lots of fun, the town put on a good night for the girls and it was pretty special for us to be invited to be a part of it tonight… this old rink has got lots of history with junior hockey and senior hockey over the years,” he told northeastNOW.

“It’s kind of neat to come out and be in that local area where some of the kids are from and get some family support. It’s an experience that the girls can take away and know they were apart or something like that, so we’re happy all around.”

Another local who was involved was Aces player, Rebecca Porter.

Porter was the lone native of Kinistino in the contest, as she felt the support and nerves throughout.

“I haven’t been able to play here in a while, so it was good to be back in the home rink. I was pretty nervous out there, but our team battled hard. It was also really awesome to be able to wear the Kinistino jerseys in warmups,” she said.

As for the home fans, they were shown a pretty special day, especially if they showed up a little early for the game.

Prior to puck drop, a handful of Prince Albert Raiders showed up to sign autographs and take pictures with the local kids.

(Submitted photo/Randy Hanson)

“It was really good, I think even some of the parents were happy and the kids were happy,” mentioned Kinistino Minor Hockey President, Randy Hanson. “They came to the game a little bit early and got their jerseys and sticks signed, so it was good.”

The week will continue on Wednesday night with PJHL action, as the Carrot River Outback Thunder take on the Prince Albert Timberjaks.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8