Hockey sisters in blue happy their band has been put back together

St. Mary’s defender Daynaka Strickler (centre) picks up her person in front of Warriors goalie Annabelle Artur (left). (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The hockey sisters in blue are happy their ‘band’ has been put back together.

“Fun. Really fun. Really, really fun,” smiled Woodstock St. Mary’s Warrior Dani Breen after being challenged to sum up her Thames Valley Regional Athletics girls hockey experience in three words.

“Lots of development and skill and lots of different girls I wouldn’t have talked to without this,” added teammate Gracie Shumka.

“Just repping your school, playing with a bunch of girls, getting to know people at your school,” agreed Warrior Daynaka Strickler.

There hasn’t been a girls’ hockey team at the school since Team Canada and Toronto Sceptres Professional Women’s Hockey League star defender Ella Shelton suited up with the Warriors says coach Pat Sloan.

“It’s a super exciting thing,” he said, thrilled the student body has another sports team to support. “Now they get to be excited about something the girls are doing.”

Officially retired but still happy to contribute, Sloan is joined on the bench by Jo-dee Regeir, Denys Reid and Sloan’s former goalie Addy Parkes, who played for him on the boys’ team for four years. They were encouraged to see 17 girls out to training camp all of whom were retained on the roster. It was a significant upgrade from the nine or ten of previous seasons - almost but not quite enough to put a program on the ice. Doing so has meant not only a Warriors team for the 2025/26 season, but significant promise for the future based on their comparative youth.

“I’d say about 80 per cent of the girls are Grade 9’s,” said Sloan.

Beyond instituting systems and expectations, he has been focussed on building confidence amongst the ranks.

“Once they get it in their heads, they can play.”

The Warriors first game back on Dec. 1 ended in a 6-2 loss to Aylmer East Elgin, but they skated to their first win, a 2-1 road decision over Tillsonburg Glendale on Dec. 15. And Thursday of that week, it was the St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders left singing the blues as St. Mary’s built a modest two-game winning streak on strength of a 4-2 win at the Woodstock Reeves Community Complex.

The Warriors notched all four of their goals in a dominant second period, Kaylee Blain opening scoring at the 15-minute period’s 29-second mark on an assist to MacKenzie Finbow.

“Crashed the net and missed and then Mac sauced (saucer pass) it out front,” Blain recalled. “I kind of just whacked at it and it went in.”

“Nice little net crash there,” credited Breen, who made it a two-goal lead just eight seconds later, basically off the ensuing face-off.

“Just tried to jump on it first,” said Breen, “gained the zone and tried to use the D (defender) to screen the goalie.”

Sammie Sterne and Kaydence Araujo were credited with assists.

The Warriors rounded their scoring on another pair of quick goals toward the end of the period. Marlie Herbert netted what would stand as the game-winner from Finbow and Ava Lee with 2:33 to play in the frame, Araujo adding an unassisted marker just 26 seconds later.

The visitors made a game of it in the third, Taryn Davies getting the Stampeders on the scoresheet with 9:02 reminding, assisted by Scarlett Wilson. Davies cut the lead to two goals with 7:09 left in the third, burying a centring pass from the slot, but the Warriors were able to hang on for a two-goal victory.

“Just keep playing,” summed up Strickler. “Playing our game.”

St. Mary’s sat in a respectable tie for fourth with St. Thomas St. Joe’s in the pre-Christmas TVRA Southeast standings. East Elgin, having played six games, led with nine points (4-1-1) while undefeated Woodstock CI (3-0) and Ingersoll DCI (2-0-1) have six and five, respectively.

Although getting a Warriors girls team back on the ice was the first goal, expectations included playing well and seeking positive results. Pleased with the progress so far, Sloan looks forward to continued improvement.

“This is a good group,” he concluded. “They listen and work hard to get better every shift.”