Try Aces Day returns with new goalie component

An annual girl’s hockey event is returning to Stratford and will now include an opportunity for girls to learn more about being a goalie.

The Stratford Aces will bring back its Try Aces event to the Rotary Arena on March 22. The event gives young girls interested in hockey a chance to try the sport.

"It's very exciting for us within the Stratford Aces organization. This Try Aces Day is the staple event for us to generate interest of all little girls in the area who are interested in playing hockey and it's just a great way for girls to find out more information about our organization as well,” said Jessie Jacob, director of special events.

New to Try Aces Day this year is the goalie component, where an aces alumna will coach any girls in the U9 and U11 divisions interested in becoming a goalie.

"Goalies are a pretty essential part of any hockey team and that is one position that doesn't get filled all the time, so we are excited,” Jacob said.

The 2025 edition of Try Aces Day brought 75 girls who never played for the Stratford Aces before on the ice. Out of that cohort, 41 girls joined the U7 program and continue to play for the Aces. Jacob said that opportunities like Try Aces Day give girls a chance to play hockey with other girls and grow as a hockey player.

“Just them being able to develop their skills with other females is highly important. We've seen so much growth with our U7 program this year from when they started in October to where they are now and I think it ultimately comes down to them being able to participate with other females and not having to worry about the competition with little boys,” she said. “I also think that the future is bright for them and so we want to provide all the opportunities for them that we can." 

The Try Aces event will start with U7 players (birth years 2020 and 2021) hitting the ice at 11:30 a.m., followed by U9 (birth years 2018 and 2019) at 12:10 p.m. and U9 and U11 hockey goalie ice time at 1 p.m. Registration can be done online by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yuxnbcph.