Team Alberta North set for Arctic Winter Games

RED DEER – The three hockey teams comprising Team Alberta North are set to open the Arctic Winter Games on Sunday.

The Arctic Winter Games are the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. This year’s edition is hosted in Wood Buffalo, January 29 to February 4. Hockey is being played in Fort McMurray and Conklin.

Team Alberta North is competing in each of the three hockey divisions: Junior Female, U15 Male and U18 Male. Hoping that home ice will prove to be an advantage, Team Alberta North faces off against Alaska, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon in each division. Round robin play begins Sunday, with medal rounds beginning February 2. Teams are competing for the gold ulu.

Sunday’s opening day action sees the U15 and U18 Male teams taking on Nunavut, while the Junior Female team plays Yukon.

“It’s always exciting to be heading into a short-term tournament, but to play in the Arctic Winter Games on home ice is a special opportunity,” said Blake Cosgrove, Team Alberta North’s Director of Operations. “It’s an honour to represent your province at an international tournament like this. Our athletes recognize that and are ready to showcase their level of compete and represent Alberta the best they can.”

To be eligible to participate in the Arctic Winter Games, athletes and coaches must reside in a community located north of the 55^th parallel. The Junior Female team is comprised of athletes born in 2004-2009. The U15 Male team features athletes born in 2008-2009 and the U18 Male team has athletes born in 2005-2007. Male athletes playing AAA hockey this season were not eligible.

The schedule and results are available at awg2023.org. Games are being livestreamed on YouTube.

The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic completion, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents.

To learn more about Team Alberta North, or the Arctic Winter Games, visit hockeyalberta.ca or follow along on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

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RED DEER - Michael Bates of Cochrane is returning to Hockey Alberta’s Board of Directors for 2023.

Bates is filling the Director vacancy created when it was announced at the 2022 Annual General Meeting that Fran Zinger was retiring. Zinger had one year remaining on her three-year term.

Bates previously completed a term as a Director at Large from 2018-2021.

He joins a Board which is comprised of chair Len Samletzki, vice chair Allan Mowbray, and directors Francois Gagnon, Bill Gourley, Kirstan Jewell, Karen Lee, Al-Amin Vira and Danielle Paradis.

For more information, go to the Board of Directors page on the Hockey Alberta website.

CALGARY – Celebrate female hockey on Saturday, January 7!

Hockey Alberta is hosting Female Hockey Day, presented by ATB, at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary. In partnership with Girls Hockey Calgary, the day celebrates female hockey and bringing together supporters for the development, growth, and celebration of the game.

Female Hockey Day has something for everyone with a Try Hockey event, Try Goalie session, U11 and U13 Skills Competition, an officiating clinic, and Introduction to Coaching seminar taking place. As well, the day’s activities are highlighted by an Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) feature game.

At 12:30 P.M., The AFHL U18 AA division’s Calgary Fire White will take on the Airdrie Lightning. The game will be available to stream online at HockeyTV. With non-stop action, the game’s next generation of stars will step on the ice during the first intermission for a U7 scrimmage. During the second intermission, members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) will host a meet and greet, giving the girls a chance to meet their idols.

The schedule caps off with a U11 and U13 Skills Competition. Girls Hockey Calgary U11 Teal, U11 Red, U13 Silver, and U13 Spark will showcase their skills, with the demonstrations being done by the members of the PWHPA.

Across the province, other Female Hockey Day celebrations are taking place as well, with the Hockey Alberta Foundation supporting festivities planned in Leduc, Sherwood Park, and Whitecourt.

Celebrating Female Hockey Day in your own community? Share with us by tagging Hockey Alberta on social media and use the hashtag - #whyweplay.

For more information on Female Hockey Day, visit hockeyalberta.ca.

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is set to host the inaugural U11 HADP Showcase in Red Deer, beginning Friday, January 6.

Eight teams from around the province will converge on the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer for a weekend tournament.

Teams involved in the showcase include:

• Fort McMurray
• Lethbridge
• Lloydminster
• St. Albert (SA401)
• Springbank
• Sylvan Lake
• Trails West
• Whitemud West (WM402)

Each team will play four games starting at 9:30am on Friday, with the championship game being held on Sunday at 2:00pm. All games will be streamed for free on HockeyTV.

SCHEDULE >

For the 2022-23 hockey season, Hockey Alberta has expanded the U11 AA Pilot Project province wide and renamed it the U11 Hockey Alberta Development Pilot (U11 HADP). The focus of the U11 HADP is to implement amended hosting structures, player movement rules, league scheduling and Coach and Player Development Standards.

U11 HADP Information >