By Glen Erickson /
It’s just the nature of the beast in the Bantam female division in these parts. There are only two teams, one in Kelowna and one in Kamloops. And with Kamloops playing host to the provincial championship this season, the CKtown Roofing Kelowna Jr. Rockets are guaranteed a trip to the tournament.
“We are going to provincials, we already know that,” said team manager Louise McLeod. “We only have one other team in our division.”
At the Bantam female provincials, scheduled for March 10 to 14, Kelowna will compete against Kamloops, Prince George, a team from the Kootenays and a pair of teams from the lower mainland.
Although McLeod recalls that the group had a long way to go when the season began, she is very pleased with the progress so far. The team plays most of its games against Midget teams from Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Kamloops and the Pursuit of Excellence. Playing against more mature teams does come with some benefits.
“When we started off this season, we felt we were maybe kind of weak,” McLeod said. “But we have grown in leaps and bounds. Our coach Don Spring is an ex-NHLer and he really knows his stuff. I know he won’t brag about himself, but he is really helping the girls develop into hockey players.”
Spring is assisted by Rick McMillan, the father of Kelowna Rockets forward Brandon McMillan. Melissa McMillan plays for the CKTown Roofing Jr. Rockets.
For his part, Spring appreciates McLeod’s compliment.
“That’s nice,” Spring acknowledged. “But really, all I am trying to do is motivate the girls and give them some good organization in games and in practice. We’ve seen improvement in their individual play and team development. I think because we play in the Midget league, we don’t win a lot of games. But we do see the progression when we play the Bantam teams. In November, we made it to the semi-finals in the tournament in Kamloops. We were right there in the mix.
“Sometimes, when the girls think they are doing well, a Midget team will kind of put us in our place. The Kamloops team in our (Bantam) division has had a bit of an upper hand on us, but the rivalry is there. There is no shortage of motivation to get ourselves ready.”
Spring, who has been coaching minor hockey for about 15 years, recognizes the differences between coaching a group of boys at the Bantam level compared to a group of girls. His daughter Lauren, 13, is a member of the Bantam female team.
“Well, the boys are certainly much more skilled with the puck,” he said. “The boys are bigger and stronger, better shooters and have better finish around the net. That’s what sets them apart.
“But I think the girls are very attentive to what you say as a coach and they really try to execute. Taking the instruction and then trying to implement it, I think the girls might do this a little better than the boys. And the girls are definitely competitive.”
Spring and McLeod will also be very busy prior to the provincial championship, as the team has contributed two players to the Thompson Okanagan zone’s U16 team that will compete at the B.C. Winter Games in Terrace in early March. They are goaltender Brittany McLeod and forward Lauren Spring. |