girls

Fort Frances will again be represented at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association provincial championships.

The Leafs under-13 team will be competing for the C-Division title.

Coach Brad Hill says the girls have been looking forward to the tournament all season long.

“It’s a big trip that we’ve been looking forward to since we knew this year, going in, we might have the opportunity for this,” says Hill.

“It’ll be a chance for us to go down and compete against the best in Ontario for the division that we play in.

The Leafs will compete against 15 other teams representing girls’ hockey associations across the province.

Most teams had to win their local and regional playdowns to qualify.

Fort Frances gained entry after the Kenora-based Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey Association opted not to pursue a provincial bid.

Thunder Bay is also competing but is classified at a higher level.

The Leafs have not faced any of the teams listed in their division, nor do they have any knowledge of the level of competition they will face.

Hill hopes the work done at weekly practices and games translates into a good showing.

“We’re hoping that we’ll go down and play our best games when we’re down there.”

This is just the second time that the Fort Frances Girls-Women’s Hockey Association has sent a team to the provincial championships.

They swept the competition, recording three shutout victories, and edged out a team from Mitchell, Ontario, in the final to capture the U13C championship.

Hill is confident of his team’s ability to match that effort.

“We’ve got a great group of girls. They work hard and show up every game. We’ve had a lot of success this year in the tournaments we’ve been a part of.”

The Leafs first game will be this Friday in Ajax against a team from Chatham.