Manitoba pros train next generation of goalies

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This article was published 10/07/2024 (814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Is Manitoba the cradle of female goaltenders?

You could make a pretty solid argument for that title judging by the assembled talent at the Hockey For All Centre Wednesday morning.

All told, there were four homegrown Professional Women’s Hockey League puckstoppers serving as instructors at the KC Elite Goaltendering Camp.

The star cast included: Brandon’s Kristen Campbell, the camp’s founder and a finalist for PWHL goaltender of the year after her rookie pro season in Toronto; Elm Creek’s Corinne Schroeder (PWHL New York); NCAA Women’s Frozen Four MVP Raygan Kirk of Ste. Anne (drafted last month by PWHL Toronto) and Winnipegger Logan Angers, who recently inked a free agent deal with PWHL Ottawa.

“Myself, Schroeder, Logan, Raygan — all these girls were born in Manitoba, trained in Manitoba and played in Manitoba and now we’re going to play in the world’s best professional league,” said the 26-year-old Campbell, a member of the national team since 2021.

“There’s just such great representation in the province and a lot of local girls now can aspire to do that one day. I think that that’s what’s really special now. We were talking yesterday and we asked them what their hockey dreams are and everything they said is now achievable. That’s never been a thing before. There was nowhere to go after college unless you were going to play in the Olympics.”

Enrolment for the four-day camp is up to 40 from 28 participants a year ago and the event attracted a wide range of players — very young to teenaged — from across the country. Campers have been schooled on many modern on- and off-ice coaching techniques.

“It’s a unique opportunity. I loved it last year and this year we have four PWHL goalies,” said Abby Pastorius, a 15-year-old camp participant from Guelph, Ont.

“There’s so many things I can learn from these women. I want to improve on so many of my skills, so anything I can learn from them obviously would be amazing for me.”

Toronto’s Stephanie Hugh attended PWHL games during its inaugural season last winter and was inspired to commit part of her summer in Manitoba working on her game.

“I wanted to be taught by the pros like Kristen Campbell and Schroeder,” said Hugh, 10. “I’m a big fan. I think I only missed two games.”

Watching PWHL Toronto games in person compelled Pastorius to reconsider what she thought was possible.

“Me and my family bought season tickets and I was able to go to almost all the games and it’s definitely affected us,” said Pastorius.

“It’s so amazing to see women get to play professional and it’s making all of us young girls realize that we have a chance if we want to go that far. It’s definitely very eye-opening.”

Angers, a 24-year-old who recently completed five years of NCAA Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University, has embraced her status as a role model.

“The (kids) kind of know all the goalies that have grown up in Manitoba and gone on to play college level, because that was all there was before,” she said. “So now also being able to look up to these professional Manitoba goalies is cool for them.

“Because going through college, I had no idea what would be next and now there is this opportunity and I get this opportunity. It’s awesome.”

Campbell has also enlisted the aid of veteran goaltending coaches Andy Kollar and Gord Woodall. Kollar and Woodall have expertise she was never exposed to when she became a goaltender as a 10-year-old.

“Back then, I was never taught about handling the puck,” said Campbell. “There’s a lot of things now that we can give them to build their game so that when they get to be our age, they’re gonna be even better than we are.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca