The Best Female Hockey in Canada and a Lakeview Connection

A huge sports event kicked off in Regina today, but you might not know about it.   It’s the Esso Cup — the National Female Midget AAA Hockey Championships, and it runs April 18-24 at the new Cooperators Arena in the Exhibition Grounds.

Six teams from across Canada are competing for the National Championship from as far away as Edmonton, Thunder Bay, Richelieu Quebec and Moncton.   The prairies are represented by the Notre Dame Hounds and the host Regina Rebels.

This is only the third National Female Championship and it is a testament to the wild growth of female hockey across Canada.  You know Canada dominates in female hockey, so this isn’t just the best female hockey in Canada, it’s the best in the world!

Some of these young ladies might progress to the Olympic team in a couple years so it’s a great chance to come out and see excellent hockey right in your town.  Tickets are cheap, the seats are comfortable and the skill level will be awesome.  The Regina Rebels play in the last game of the day each night (7:30PM Monday-Wednesday) so head down and check it out!  More information, including schedules is available at the Hockey Canada website.

There is also a big Lakeview connection to this event.  Lorissa Thompson (former Lakeview community soccer alumnus, circa 1999) plays for the Regina Rebels and lives right down the street from me.   She’s played top level hockey andsoftball from a very young age and it’s great to see all her hard work pay off with a chance at a national title.

Lorissa’s dad Brian is also the volunteer coordinator for the tournament, which means you’ll likely see the whole family and all their friends helping out at the Cooperators Centre all week.  Be sure to stop by and say hi.

Photo Credit:  It’s a shot from the opening day action on April 18, via the Hockey Canada website.  The photo is taken by a Regina studio that specializes in sports photography, Sierra-Chrysalis imaging.