Local girls play with AAA all-stars

Local Content - Local Sports

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Thursday, 21 January 2010 19:34

By Paul Grigaitis Three local girls  – Maple Creek’s Jessa Drury and Carley Bertram and Consul’s Megan French – represented the Swift Current Wildcats at the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s all-star game on Saturday. The girls replaced three injured Wildacts – Nikki Conner, Shelby Nisbet, and Kayla Hawkins – and played for Team North in Lanigan on Saturday. Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely said the girls represented their team well even though Team South won the game with a score of 4-1. “They played very well. They fit in with all the skilled players that were there. It was a very good hockey game,”  Pavely said. He described 16-year-old Drury as a very smart defensive player. “She can look after her own end very well.” Fifteen-year-old right winger Bertram is described as a penalty killer. “She’s a checker, Pavely said. She can really shut down the other team’s top players.” Wildcats centre, 16-year-old French, is an offensively-gifted player, Pavely added. “She got very good hands, handles the puck very well and plays for the power play unit.” Drury said it was a good experience playing among the top players in the league. “You see them when you play them on the ice, but it’s nice have like everybody together,” the third-year Wildcat said. The three young hockey players will be in Maple Creek on Saturday and Sunday for Zone 3 SaskFirst Female team tryouts. “You just take the experience you get from the all-star game and use it towards your leadership skills in something such as the Zone tournament,”  Drury said. Drury has made the Zone 3 squad on three previous occasions. The SaskFirst Zone team will compete at the Saskatchewan Winter Games in Moose Jaw next month.