INNISFAIL - The Central Alberta Amazons joined teams in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League (AJFHL)
for the 2020 annual AJFHL Showcase weekend in Innisfail.
It is the first time Innisfail has hosted the weekend of regular season games, which was held in a tournament style setting at the Innisfail Arena from Jan. 10 to 12.
The Amazons won against the Calgary Jags last Friday night with a 5-3 victory and earned a well fought 3-2 overtime win against the Irma Chargers on Sunday.
Each team played either two or three games over the weekend, said Amazons general manager Heather Kirkham, who noted Innisfail was chosen for its central location and easy access for teams from across Alberta.
The weekend was also a fundraiser for the Innisfail and District Food Bank and collected a large amount of non-perishable food items, noted Kirkham.
The Amazons have picked up the pace after a slow start to the season, said head coach Randy Burt.
"The season started slow. We've got a lot of young players," said Burt. "But the girls picked it up just before Christmas and started figuring things out. We're coming into a five-game winning streak right now so we'll see how the new year starts and go from there."
The Amazons currently sit in third place in the North Division. The team moved from the South Division, where they have played the last few seasons.
"It was just a league decision, primarily driven by travel," said Burt.
This year’s team has 20 players with 18 skaters and two goaltenders. All are between the ages of 18 and 21, he noted, adding that several 22-year-olds are on the team as overage players.
"They're young and there's a lot of midget graduates. We've got some veterans that returned but I've lost quite a few to the city,” said Burt, noting players who left to pursue school and now play for other teams.
Burt also noted the great work behind the bench by assistant coaches Emma Malsbury and Cassandra Kirkham.
So far this season, there are several strengths to the Amazons' game.
"First and foremost is the speed. We've got a lot of quick, young players," said Burt. "Their minds are in the right spot. We just need to get them educated as far as how rough the league is and how physical they need to play. Goaltending is definitely a strength for us. We've got two excellent goaltenders."
Andrea Anderson, 21, is the captain of the Amazons and said the team is having a good season.
"At the end of the first half we really started to come together and jell together and got in a bit of a groove,” said Anderson. “I think we're going to have a good second half."
