By Lisa Parent

PWHL having positive influence on young hockey players in Medicine Hat

Jan 23, 2024 | 6:36 PM

Hockey continues to evolve as an inclusive sport, offering opportunities for everyone.

In Medicine Hat, avenues for girls to engage in the sport and enhance their skills are readily available.

The Medicine Hat Minor Hockey Association (MHMHA) boasts six distinct female divisions, providing a diverse and accessible pathway for skill development.

Ten-year-old Emily Gergely is a part of the all-girls U11 Wildcats Purple team.

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There are only two U11 girls teams in the association, which means they play games against the boys teams often.

Emily said sometimes her skills are underestimated on the ice by boys on other teams.

“I think it’s silly ’cause some girls can evenly match them in many things,” Emily told CHAT News at a hockey practice at CO-OP Place.

“[The boys are] always like, ‘we’re so much better than you, we’re gonna beat you,’ she added.

The MHMHA offers divisions for girls that extend up to U15, providing a developmental path for young athletes as they strive towards achieving their ambitious hockey goals.

Wildcats Teal player Brynlee Dovichak said, “I want to stick with hockey and try and make it into the Women’s National League,”

“I definitely want to make the PWHL,” ten-year-old Paisley Krasko added.

This year, the Professional Women’s Hockey League launched six teams, providing young female hockey players with a chance to turn their passion into a career.

Brian Krasko is a coach with MHMHA and his two daughters play hockey. He said he’s excited that his daughters now have a league they can aspire to play in one day.

Krasko added that the sport has come a long way regarding more female involvement, in comparison when he first started playing as a child.

“Now there’s girls teams everywhere and academies,” Krasko said. “It’s growing huge in the last 15, 20 years.”

Mike Gergely has observed a positive influence on his daughter, Emily, as a result of showing her a PWHL game on television.

“[Emily] asked, ‘what is that?’ I said, ‘well, it’s like the NHL but it’s for girls,” Mike explained.

“Her answer to that, she had a big smile. She just said, ‘finally.’”

If Gergely’s daughter has it her way, she’ll be the one on TV someday.

“I do it for fun, but maybe someday I would want to do it in the big leagues where people can be watching you and the stands are full,” explained Emily.

For now, Gergely plans to keep working hard on the ice, hopeful that one day she can play the sport she loves professionally, just like PWHL players do.