In Dayna Leonard's lifetime, the Olds Sportsplex has always been home ice. But not last week when the Olds Minor Hockey product returned on Nov. 4 as a visiting player to help the SAIT Trojans win their first game of the season.
Speaking outside a noisy, cheerful Trojans locker room, Leonard said she felt nostalgic about being back. She recalled the childhood games she played in the building: mini-sticks and hide-and-seek; as well as the ones that counted, like games played during provincial championships.
She said a number of family and friends attended the game, a 2-1 victory for SAIT. Leonard did not register a point.
The game also saw Leonard, who plays defence, match up against Olds College forward Krista Wilson on a few occasions. Wilson, a fellow Oldsite, was one of her coaches on last year's midget A Grizzlys team.
Leonard, taking the EMT program, laughed off the question of who fared better during their jousts along the boards and around the net.
"I don't know. I just know in front of the net there was a scramble and I almost fell. I don't know who won," she said.
Earlier in the season, she faced off against another familiar face, her older sister Rikki, playing for Red Deer College.
"I had a really good game against her and her team, the most fun game I had," she said.
From Wilson's view, the ACAC rookie didn't look like one.
"When I did see her from the bench, she had her head up, she's moving the puck up the ice well. She's skating well," Wilson said.
"She didn't look like a first-year for me. She looked like a player in the league which is what you want to see as a coach when your players move on to the next level."
Leonard and her twin sister Kelly committed to SAIT earlier this year. Trojans coach Terry Larson watched their league playoff games at the suggestion of a former player. He was impressed by what he saw and invited them for a skate.
"They were both leaders on the team. Kelly was a very aggressive forward who wasn't afraid to go into the corners and battle," Larson said. "And Dayna, she just took control of the blue-line ... she looked for her options and was willing to jump into the play."
Kelly has since left the team, seeking a change from her academic program, he said.
The two are just one example of players making college ranks through the old midget A stream, as opposed to playing midget AAA hockey.
"It's not as much, but you'd be surprised how many do make the college level," Larson said. "There's a Michelle Pochapsky that came out of the Olds midget A program, probably one of the top players in the ACAC. I've got other players on my team too that came out of the midget A level."
And there could be more coming out of Olds, said Wilson, an assistant coach on the bantam elite team in town.
"Olds is producing some amazing players. I think it's going to be really exciting the next few years here," she said.
"When I did see her from the bench, she had her head up, she's moving the puck up the ice well. She's skating well."KRISTA WILSON, ONE OF DAYNA LEONARD'S FORMER COACHES
