The action in the Professional Women’s Hockey League or PWHL has a Lloydminster connection with Emerance Maschmeyer, who tended goal a few times with the Lloydminster Bobcats back in the day, and that detail is adding skating power for the talent on the Lakeland College Women’s Rustlers Hockey team.
Ellianne Barile from Legal, Alberta is in her second year studying education at college. The defender shares the PWHL is an inspiration for young girls to see there is somewhere they can go to play hockey in a professional league.
“There’s a lot of different options for collegial female athletes. They can go to University Sports. A lot of Division 1 and NCAA players from the States end up playing professionally, if that’s their goal,” says Barile.
Based on her career path her focus remains on completing college, even before considering a shot at the PWHL.
Forward Kylie Perry, who is in her second year of business studies at Lakeland College, is stoked about the new level of women’s hockey.
“It’s good for young girls to look up to and to chase something, rather than just going to college level and just stopping there.”
The Clive, Alberta native says she looks up to forward Blayre Turnbull who captains Toronto.
“I met her once and she was pretty great. And I got her autograph. She was really nice, and she plays hard, and I look up to her,” says Perry, who lists the Olympics and the PWHL as career goals.
The local elite women’s outfit heads to Red Deer on Friday and then the Red Deer Queens will visit Lloydminster on Saturday to wrap the home-and-home match-up.
The Lakeland Rustlers Women’s Hockey team is currently third in the ACAC standings with 10 wins from 13 games.
