By Charles Tweed
The Ponoka peewee female Broncs may have started the season slowly but they’re finishing it with a bang.
The Broncs took on Castor in round 1 of the league championships.
The first game took place in Castor on March 4 and Ponoka was ready.
Ponoka jumped on their rivals scoring the first six goals of the game.
Castor would answer with two late in the third to make the final 6-2.
The Broncs got contributions from Jesse Stretch, who scored four goals.
Andrea Anderson had a goal and an assist, while Brittany Lukocs had the other goal and Hannah Allin and Lindsay Jansen pitched in with an assist, each.
Game 2 was scheduled for the following day in Ponoka and the Broncs carried the momentum forward. The girls beat Castor convincingly, 9-3, to move on to the semi-finals of the league against Red Deer.
“The girls played great — every game from here on in is difficult. We haven’t beat Red Deer yet this year, but its what we’ve been building towards,” said coach Lucas Willier. “We’ve came along way, and Red Deer knows we can play.”
There are always challenges in smaller communities when it comes to icing female hockey teams. In most cases, it is simply a numbers game but Willier has seen a transformation in the group of girls he’s coached this year.
“We’ve seen a real development of rolls. The girls are finding out who and where they fit in on the team. That’s what’s made the team successful because each girl is identifying what they can bring to the team.” he said.
The team has also qualified for provincials and will represent Zone 4 in Red Deer.
“Provincials for minor hockey are like the Stanley Cup finals for every kid. It’s the best in Alberta, and by you being able to go it says two things, you’re good enough to play against the best in Alberta and you’re one of the best in Alberta,” said Willier. “The girls have been playing like champions and they call themselves champions because they really are.”