A team of young girls rung in the new year by going undefeated at an elite tournament.
Unofficially, undefeated.
The Foothills U10 Step 1 Cute Kittens didn’t lose at the Esso Golden Ring Ringette tournament in Calgary Jan. 17-19.
“Officially they don’t keep score – everybody does though – they just don’t put in on the game clock,” said Kittens coach Les Peterson.
The Kittens are ages 5 to 9 and most of them are first-year players. As for the no posting of scoring, it’s all part of keeping the pressure off the girls and allowing them to skate and develop.
“In ringette there is a lot more emphasis on the social side of things,” Peterson said. “Also there is a lot more emphasis on skating.
“I would say at this age our girls are better skaters than in hockey, because the girls don’t have to worry about the puck being on their stick.
“I would say we are faster, more skilled skaters (than hockey).”
Ringette has the players using hockey stick like sticks but with the blades removed. The doughnut-shaped puck is controlled by a player putting the end of the stick in the centre of the doughnut hole.
At this young age, the Kittens play three-on-three on a half-ice.
All the players can go into the offensive zone unlike the play of traditional fie-on-five ringette. The Kittens clawed their way to a near-perfect season – unofficially of course, as scores aren’t kept at this level.
“Some of them started fresh this year and some have been skating for a couple of years,” Peterson said. “We practise once a week and we have a game once a week.
“We have lost a couple of games.”
The Kittens play in a league with Strathmore, Cochrane, Airdrie and Indus.
There are no playoffs at this age, but there is a tournament at the end of the season.
At present Foothills ringette has a pair of teams — the Step 1 team is for ages 5 to 9 and the U10 Step 2 Foothills Ice Breakers, consisting mostly of nine-year-olds and have more experience than the younger team.
Most of the players in the Foothills ringette association are from Okotoks and surrounding area with a handful of players from High River.
As for the moniker, Cute Kittens wasn’t exactly the coach’s choice.
Peterson wanted something sounding like an AC/DC track or a famous Bob Dylan tour.
“I was voting for Rolling Thunder but Cute Kittens we are,” he said.
The Foothills Ringette Association is hosting a Come Try Ringette event on March 8 at 12:15 p.m. at the Piper Arena.
For more details go to foothillsringette.com.
