Move over boys, there's a new competitive hockey league coming to Cold Lake.
The Alberta Junior Female Hockey League (AJFHL) has agreed that if Dale Laursen can get his “ducks in a row” before April, Cold Lake can have their very own female competitive hockey team.
This wasn't the first time Laursen, who is spear-heading the local team, has thought about bringing the AJFHL to the area.
Having three of his four daughters in hockey was enough for him to show a strong interest in the league.
“I've been with the East Central Alberta Female Hockey League (ECAFHL) and I've been on Bonnyville Minor Hockey as a female director. I see there's no where for the girls in this area to further it competitively,” he said. “I know there are recreational hockey teams, but it's not competitive.”
This was why he started looking into the requirements to start a team under the AJFHL.
At first, he had heard the cost was beyond what they could afford, so he put the thought aside, until now.
“I did a little more research on it and saw it wasn't too expensive. They actually ha d a team drop out of the league, Thorsby, so it just seemed like a good fit. We can get in quick and get things rolling,” explained Laursen.
The team is for 18 to 22-year-old female players, but they can apply for approval from the league to have anyone over or under the age limit sign up.
In order to gauge local interest, Laursen reached out directly to some of the players he knew through his role with the ECAFHL and as a female director.
“What I've got back from them, is if they're not gone to university, they're all in,” he expressed. “It's starting to get even bigger now. I have people calling from Elk Point, St. Paul, and for this kind of calibre team you need to draw from a bigger area.”
Now that he knows there is a want in the community, all he has to do is meet the league's requirements before the April deadline.
According to Laursen, so far he can meet all but one.
“Right now, I'm looking for a coach,” he said. “They want full coaching staff, they want to see that on paper. They want to see a roster if you have one available, but they're not too pushy on that. They also want to know whether it's going to be non-profit or for-profit, which we will be non-profit.”
Overall, he believes the community is ready for high-level female hockey, especially with Portage College so close to the rink.
Laursen said, “I think the community is going to be really behind it, just on what I've gotten so far.”
