Photo From Facebook/Medicine Hat College Rattlers

By Chris Brown

Debut season a winning one for Rattlers women’s hockey team

Apr 12, 2023 | 4:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The first season for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s hockey team was a huge win overall even if they were never on top when looking at the final numbers on the scoreboard.

Players reflected on the season this week and take pride in highlights and accomplishments.

“I think our first goal,” said right wing Serina Grona when asked about the highlight for her. “I think just the celebration we had knowing how hard we worked, like the team worked, to get there. It was really like it was really rewarding to like feel the happiness that the whole team had even though one girl scored it we all felt like we did.”

Goaltender Kinlee Fahselt went off the ice choosing her highlight.

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“Our first road trip that we had as a team. It felt more like a real team, bus trip, staying in a hotel. We didn’t win any of the games but we fought hard and it brought us closer together.”

Both say the season exceeded all their expectations.

Fahselt says the team was sort of thrown together last minute but still fared well playing exhibition games against well-established teams in the Alberta College Athletic Conference. She remembers the team losing lopsided games early in the season and then holding its own later on in much closer games.

Rattlers athletic director Terry Ballard says that last summer they committed to running a women’s hockey club team for the 2022-23 season no matter how many women showed up for the first meeting.

“Thankfully 18 or 19 showed up so we had a regular group of about 16-17 that came out two days a week for practice,” he says. “Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a better group of young women. They were committed. I mean it was very tough because it was a 6:15 a.m. practice Tuesdays and Thursdays. At least 80-90 per cent showed up those two days and we’re just really happy that they progressed the way they did.”

That’s exactly what we want to do is we want these girls to be role models for young girls so we can grow the game in the community _{— Athletic director Terry Ballard}

Ballard says Grona, Fahselt and their teammates are pioneers, setting the groundwork for the program.

Now he’s looking to the next season, confident the Rattlers will be full-fledged members of the ACAC. Conference officials visited the city in February to meet with coaches, college executives and city representatives, he says, and a recommendation has been made to admit MHC into the league but will have to be ratified next month.

The team has also been supporting young female hockey players in the community to help grow the game here. Ballard says the Rattlers “adopted” a local team and attended games.

“That’s exactly what we want to do is we want these girls to be role models for young girls so we can grow the game in the community,” he explains. “At the same time give girls opportunities where when they turn 15 or 16 they don’t have to leave town so hopefully more girls will stay here and we can have our own junior teams in the city of Medicine Hat, our own midget teams in the city so that’s our goal.

The Rattlers will hold an identification camp next week for college-eligible players and for those in Grades 10 to 12 to start building a pipeline for future seasons. Ballard says most if not all the players from this year’s team are registered and almost 10 more who have either been recruited or contacted the Rattlers.

More information on the camp and the team is available on the Rattlers website and social media channels.