Photo From Facebook/Medicine Hat College Rattlers

By Chris Brown

Rattlers women’s hockey joining ACAC for 2023-24

May 31, 2023 | 11:01 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat College and Rattlers Athletics scored a big win for women’s hockey this month without even stepping on the ice.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference has granted approval for the Rattlers women’s hockey team to join the conference for the 2023-24 season.

Terry Ballard, manager of athletics and recreation at MHC, is excited about the opportunity for female athletes in the region.

“The intention of this hockey program is to provide young female hockey players with a local opportunity to aspire to and for our student-athletes to be role models for those players,” he says in a news release. “There are some very talented young women hockey players in southeast Alberta and we look forward to having them represent the region, the city of Medicine Hat and the college.”

Last year the college team played an exhibition season competing against teams in the ACAC and other southern Alberta teams. MHC joins Lakeland College, NAIT, SAIT, Olds and Red Deer in the ACAC.

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Medicine Hat College has never before offered a women’s hockey program. The last time any hockey team competed at the collegiate level for MHC was the 1986-87 season.

The team’s focus will now turn to hiring a head coach and continuing to recruit for fall. The schedule will be released in the upcoming weeks with training camp to start in late August. All Rattlers home games will be played out of the Moose Recreation Centre.

Contact Ballard at tballard@mhc.ab.ca to learn more about the women’s hockey program.