Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Balmoral Hall's Thunder rolling
Netminder's ambition backed by her play
PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image
Erika Thunder hydrates through her goalie mask this week. She wants to play at university and the Olympics.
Thunder's been rumbling in net for the Balmoral Hall Blazers female preparatory school hockey team this season.
Erika Thunder, 17, has been tending the twine for the Blazers and was named West Division player of the week last week in the 10-team Junior Women's Hockey League.
Thunder will start in goal for the Blazers on Friday when they take on Switzerland's Olympic women's hockey team at 5:30 p.m. at Dakota Community Centre.
"It's an honour for me to think that I'm on the ice against a team that is going to be playing against Team Canada and Team USA in the Olympics, starting next week," Thunder said.
Hailing from Buffalo Point First Nation in southeastern Manitoba, where her father, John, is chief, Thunder left home at 14 to move to Winnipeg, live in residence at Balmoral Hall and pursue her hockey dream.
Now in Grade 12, she is ready to take the next step in her hockey development and hopes to obtain a scholarship to play at the university level next year. Being selected as the JWHL's West player of the week has raised her profile in the 10-team league, which is heavily scouted by universities and colleges.
"I'd love to have the chance to play (NCAA) Division I, and the Olympics is always out there as something I would love to play in eventually. For now, I'm getting a great education and a chance to play at the highest level possible in Manitoba."
Blazers head coach Mike Houston said Thunder, in her second year with the preparatory team after two years with Balmoral Hall's team in the Winnipeg Women's High School Hockey League, plays the game with an obvious enthusiasm that shows on the ice.
"The biggest opportunity for her will be the Challenge Cup tournament (next week). That's a 16-team tournament that includes other top clubs from across North America."
League of their own
THE Balmoral Hall Blazers are in their second season in the Junior Women's Hockey League, considered the top league in North America for female players ages 16-20. It comprises six American teams and four Canadian teams.
The league schedule is played in a series of tournaments that have seen the Blazers play in St. Cloud and Minneapolis, Minn., Boston, Mass., Calgary, Vancouver, Warner, Alta., Wilcox, Sask., and next weekend in Arlington, Va., for the JWHL Challenge Cup tournament. What the players say about the league:
"It's exciting and stressful to know there's scouts out there, but you just try not to think about it and focus on your game and just show what you can do. This league is opening a door to a whole different level of hockey for girls in Manitoba." -- Michelle Pawluk, 17, of Petersfield, a Grade 12 forward and team captain, who has committed to the University of Manitoba Bisons for next season
"Two years ago, when I was first here, we just played exhibition games, but being in a league has given us a chance to play top teams from around Canada and the U.S. It teaches you to adjust to many different styles of play." -- Tess Dusik, 17, of Oak Bluff, Grade 12 forward and team captain, who has committed to Bemidji State for next season.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 5, 2010 C8
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