The Martensville Maven Marlies Female Novice C team has been making an impact in female hockey within Martensville since the 2017/18 season. This year’s team consists of 12 players between the ages of 7-8 (born 2011 and 2012), along with four affiliated players from the Girls Novice D team that play when regular members are unable to.
In 2017, Martensville Minor Hockey established a female only initiation team – the Martensville Marauder Mavens. The following year, it expanded into two years consisting of an Initiation Division team and a Novice team. This season, female hockey in Martensville has once again grown and now consists of three teams – one Initiation team and two Novice teams; one in the C division (Marlies) and one in the D division (Monarchs). “I always joke that these girls are the senior statesmen for female hockey in Martensville. Most of the girls on our team were part of the first female hockey team in the community,” Team Manager Jody Coller stated.
Coached by Joel Wagner, the Marlies play in the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Novice C Division, therefore league games played are against other female and mixed Novice C teams from Saskatoon, Warman and Martensville. “The girls have been having a great season so far and our league game record is 3 wins and 1 loss. We also make an effort to travel to play exhibition games against other female teams in the province,” Coller explained.
Tournaments played in the 2019/20 season will be female only, which Coller stated, “gives the girls the opportunity to play against other female teams and growing support for female hockey in the province.”
A home tournament will be held from January 3 to 5 at the Dalmeny arena where eight female teams from across the province will compete.