Reply To: Diary of a Season 2021-2022

It was a good year development wise. We ended up playing most games with 15 first year players and 4 veterans. Tough to win when the other teams have lots of 3rd, 4th, 5th year players. We didn't make the playoffs but the girls got a lot better and we were competitive in 90% of our games.

I won't be back next season but I signed 11 new players to join the 11 returning players. The talent will be a lot higher. It was hard bringing in talent when on one was playing 2020-21. Our 2020-21 team was strong enough to win the league and had 2/3 strong returning players including two all stars and 7 really good recruits.

This link shows us training at Crowchild Arena and outdoors at Optimist Park. The players never got to train at SAIT.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AukXg5gWoW-9hep-v3jpyAyKIgd9Ew?e=rJt43D

Unfortunately the season was cancelled and our arena was closed. New players never saw the inside of our arena. Most of the veterans finished their programs and moved on, one refused the vaccine and only 2 of the recruits returned in 21-22. So we basically started over in 2021-22

We did a lot of extra activities last season.
– Team picnic at Sandy Beach in September.
– Smudge ceremony led by Kali Big Crow to cleanse our dressing room for the new year.
– Team had a birthday party for me with a cake and birthday hat.
– Halloween game where the players and staff wore costumes.
– Team had a birthday party for Mike Tschumi. Same as mine.
– Christmas game with costumes again.
– Wally Kozak did a Autogenic Training session.
We only played 3 games fall semester.
– Winter semester a lot busier. We developed a Team Covenant.
– Jim ran a murder mystery game.
– Initiation on a bus trip to Edmonton. Each first year player got up and did a song. Many danced as they sang and got a lot of laughs.
– Wally ran a great session on positive vs. negative energy.

Players had a lot of fun and got a lot better. With the infusion of new talent 2022-23 should be a successful season on and off the ice.

Just got this email from one of my players on last seasons team. At the end of each practice the girls laid on their stomachs around the middle circle with sticks in and did a cheer, Then they tapped gloves with each coach as they left the ice and a few of them called me Tommy Boy. This is an email from one of them and it made my day.

Hello Tommy boy,

(PS. Please come back!)

——-