CARLYLE — Carlyle is a busy town, and there is always something going on, whether it is summer or winter.
They have a large minor hockey league that keeps the rink incredibly busy, from U7 right up to U18, and a senior league that plays in the Big Six League.
The rink is not limited to only hockey, as they also have a good-sized figure skating club that uses the rink, along with public skating times.
Included in this league is the Wildcats U18 Women’s team, which Carlyle Minor Hockey continues to promote to get other eager females interested in playing the game.
Before most of the Wildcats’ games, a female player is selected from the younger teams to carry the flag before the home games start, promoting female players.
According to Scott Kirkness, the coach for one of the younger teams, they have a solid contingent of 2015 girls who play for the U11 team (a mix of boys and girls). They also have a girl from 2016 who is the goaltender for the U9 team (a mix of boys and girls).
These young women have all expressed the desire to play on an all-female team, and Kirkness feels that now is the right time to see if the parents are also on board for this transition.
Kirkness is a member of the minor hockey board and is the media relations person. For the past couple of years, it has been brought up to the board about moving forward with an all-girls team.
To make this work, the team will need another six or so females to join the team, and they hope that they will come from surrounding communities.
Carlyle Minor Hockey currently has two U11 teams, so this will not create another team. The boys will be on one team, and the girls will be on the other team. This is the same as the U18 teams.
Their ultimate goal is to create a U11 female hockey team with a fun atmosphere and keep more girls playing hockey.
There already is a U11 girls’ league, which consists of two teams in Estevan, two in Moosomin, two in Weyburn, and one in Davidson.
Fritz Sauter, another coach from Carlyle Minor Hockey, has said that he is willing to coach this team, as he has a daughter in the age bracket, while Kirkness is willing to help.
Sauter played three seasons in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and even got into games with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which is professional hockey.
Sauter’s dad, Doug Sauter, was a coach for 30 years with the Western Hockey League (WHL), so it seems fitting that Sauter follows in his dad’s footsteps.
Ten players, for two lines and a goalie, is what they need to get this rolling.
If any young woman is interested in playing hockey on an all-girls U11 team who lives in the surrounding areas, they can contact Scott Kirkness, and he will gladly steer them in the right direction.
