ESTEVAN - Hockey fans in the Estevan area will be treated to some high-level action on Feb. 5 with female and male U18 AAA contests.
The Weyburn Gold Wings will play host to the Notre Dame Hounds, starting at 5 p.m. in a Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League regular season contest. It's believed to be the first time the Gold Wings have played a regular season game in Estevan.
Then the Estevan Great North U18 AAA Bears will host Notre Dame in a Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League game at 8 p.m.
Gold Wings' head coach Chandy Kaip said the process in bringing a game to Estevan started in August with the successful, first-ever female hockey camp in the Energy City.
"We really wanted to showcase our AAA female team in Estevan as well," said Kaip.
The Wings also received a phone call from Great North Bears manager Tricia DeBruyne – a decorated hockey player herself – about trying to find a time that would work for both the Gold Wings and the Bears. They were then able to connect with Notre Dame.
"It all just came together and we're all very, very excited. It's a gorgeous rink out there. We have a lot of girls that are really excited," said Kaip.
Kaip hopes to see a good crowd for the game. The Gold Wings are trying to reach out to as many teams as possible to encourage them to watch some good AAA hockey, and inspire some more female athletes to pursue AAA hockey.
Ideally, Kaip would like to see this game become an annual tradition in Estevan, and she also hopes it will create more interest in Estevan for the team in Weyburn.
"Even if we just get one excited little girl or two that's making their parents come to Weyburn to watch a AAA game, that's a really good thing for us."
The game will be a homecoming for Julia Durr, an Estevan hockey product who is in her second season with the Gold Wings and leads the team in scoring with six goals and 14 points in 22 games.
"We're really excited for Julia Durr to be able to suit up and play before her hometown," said Kaip.
Durr said playing for Weyburn has been a good experience. She likes the program and the team, and it's been a good environment.
She's looking forward to playing at home, and having family and friends in the stands.
"I haven't played in Estevan since U13 hockey," said Durr.
People who come to watch the game will get to enjoy some competitive hockey that will be fun to watch, she said.
Durr is glad she opted to play U18 AAA hockey with the Gold Wings. It's close to home so she can still see her family on a regular basis, and her family be in the stands. The Goldwings have also helped with her development, as players are on the ice a lot.
The Gold Wings also have an affiliated player, Chelsea Madsen, who is from Estevan and has been called up from the U15 level this season.
Weyburn currently has a record of three regulation wins, two overtime wins, 15 regulation losses and two overtime losses for 15 points. Teams receive three points for a regulation win, two for an extra time win and one for an overtime loss.
As for the Bears, they currently own the eighth and final playoff spot in their league with a 16-16-2 record and 34 points, seven more than the ninth-place Battlefords Stars. The Bears also have two games in hand.
