Any time a community is announced as the host of a national hockey tournament, the waiting and anticipation begin as the excitement builds.
For Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Jasmine Kohl and the Prince Albert Northern Bears heading into the Esso Cup U18 AAA female national hockey championship this week, that wait dates back to when she was a raw rookie who hadn’t even played a game for the team.
But now, it’s all systems go, as the 2023 edition of the tournament opens on Sunday in Prince Albert.
Kohl, 18, first joined the Bears for the 2020-21 campaign, which theoretically would have been the season following the Esso Cup in Prince Albert. But the coronavirus pandemic had cancelled the tournament that spring, and even though Prince Albert was re-awarded the tournament for 2021, the SFAAAHL season only made it four games in before things were once again shut down.
That set the stage for 2022, when Hockey Canada dealt with the omicron wave by making the unusual move of playing the tournament in Okotoks, Alta with Prince Albert as the host. They’d post a 2-3 record at the event and just miss the playoffs.
The national organizing body wouldn’t leave the Prince Albert hockey faithful in the cold, though, and once again awarded the tournament to the Gateway to the North for the 2023 season.
Now, it's showtime, and this time on home ice for real.
Prince Albert opens the tournament on Sunday night when they host the Atlantic champion Northern Selects before taking on the Pacific champion Fraser Valley Rush on Monday, Quebec champion Etoiles de Laurentides Lanaudiere on Tuesday, West champion Regina Rebels on Wednesday and Ontario champion Stoney Creek Sabres on Thursday.
The top four teams from each round-robin pool advance to the semifinals on Friday, followed by the medal games Saturday.
The Bears are coming off a 9-18-1-2 regular season that saw Kohl and crew lose in three games to the Notre Dame Hounds in the quarter-final.
Kohl -- a hockey and softball prospect for NCAA Division III Lake Forest College -- had six goals and 19 points in 30 games to finish fifth in team scoring.
Joining Kohl in representing the Friendly City at the Esso Cup will be Regina Rebels standout defenceman Brooklyn Nimegeers.
And to say the least, it’s been one heck of a season for the 17-year-old defenceman.
First, there’s what the Rebels put together throughout their campaign.
Regina finished with a 24-5-1-0 record and in first place in the SFAAAHL before taking a three-game win over Notre Dame and then also going to the limit before claiming the league title against the Saskatoon Stars.
That sent the Rebels to the Esso Cup Western Regional playoff against the Manitoba champion Winnipeg Ice, where they’d take a pair of overtime wins on home ice to secure their spot in the national tournament.
For Nimegeers herself, it’s been a stellar campaign. After committing to play for NCAA Divison I Princeton next season, Nimegeers went on to put up 11 goals and 29 points in 29 games to lead all defencemen in scoring while also finishing 10th overall.
Nimegeers also took the ice with Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games, leading the team in scoring with a goal and four points.
Regina plays Laurentides Lanaudiere to open their tournament on Sunday before continuing against Stoney Creek on Monday, Fraser Valley on Tuesday, Prince Albert on Wednesday and the Selects on Thursday.
You can follow along with all the scores on www.hockeycanada.ca.
