MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Water Valley’s Dylan Pighin has been playing ringette for 10 years – and now she’s off to the national championships after her Zone 2 U16 AA team won provincials in Sherwood Park last week.
Dylan, 15, says she is certainly looking forward to her first trip to nationals, which take place in Calgary next month.
“I’m super excited,” she said. “I am both nervous and excited.”
Dylan, who plays centre, says ringette is an exciting and competitive sport.
“I’ve had lots and lots of great experiences with ringette,” she said. “I’ve met many people playing in Cochrane, which is my home association. Making the AA team allowed me to meet more players and travel around Canada.”
Ringette is played on the same ice surface as hockey, with three forwards, two defence and one goalie on each shift.
Asked to describe her style of play, she said she strives to be both an offensive and defensive player.
“I’m known for setting up plays and getting lots of assists,” she said.
Coming out of provincials on a winning note is a good thing going into nationals, she said.
“Our team played really well that weekend, and it was a good experience to have,” she said.
Preparations for nationals are already underway, with no more scheduled games before the April 3-9 championships, she said.
“We are really working mentally, going into the finals with confidence and not cockiness. We are working on improving our game play and our skill level and working on plays,” she said.
The nationals will see teams from nearly all provinces, with most of the players seeing each other for the first time. There was no national championships held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
“Due to COVID we don’t really know how strong the other teams will be because we haven’t been able to get around Canada,” she said.
Dylan said coach Wes Clarck has been instrumental in the team’s success so far this season.
Ringette was first played in Espanola, Ontario in 1963.
