Brianna Finke was the captain of Team Alberta's U20 Women during the 2024 Canadian Ball Hockey Nationals. Submitted Photo

By Jesse Gill

SMILE SUNDAYS

Cypress County’s Finke set to play ball hockey on world stage

Jun 22, 2025 | 9:00 AM

Brianna Finke will represent Canada at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation’s 2025 U20 Women’s World Junior Championships.

The five day tournament runs July 2-6 in Poprad, Slovakia.

It will be her first time across the Atlantic Ocean for the 18-year old, who said she is super excited and looking forward to this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I was actually just coming off a workout and I got a text from my mom because she got the initial email and my heart just dropped,” Finke said about finding out she was offered a spot on the team in September.

“It was so exciting.”

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Joined by her mom and grandmother, Finke will make the trip to Slovakia June 27 to start a five day training camp with Team Canada.

With players spread across the country, the training camp will help these young women meet in person and build some chemistry heading into the tournament.

“We’ve been doing Zooms for the last two months every week,” Finke said.

“So a little bit we’ve got to get to know each other there.”

Finke is one of only two Albertans on the roster but she is also joined by a familiar face.

Submitted Photo

Goaltender Tayler Cohen from British Columbia played the 2023-24 ice hockey season with Finke as members of the local South Alberta Hockey Academy.

The two were also teammates in the Gas City Ball Hockey League during the 2024 season.

A co-ed youth league Finke had played in from a young age.

“Since I was like seven probably. Like a long time,” Finke said.

“It’s a really different sport when you’re going with the guys to the girls, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Aged out of the GCBHL, Finke has spent this season playing in the Hat Ball Hockey League.

“I play in the men’s league and we’ve been playing once a week and then we have playoffs coming up next week, but it’s definitely been keeping me in shape for this tournament,” Finke said.

She played ice hockey this winter at Keene State College, a NCAA Division III program based out of New Hampshire that played it’s inaugural season of women’s hockey in 2024-25.

Finke plays as a forward in ice hockey and lead her team offensively with 26 points in 25 games including 12 goals.

With her ability to also play both forward and defence in ball hockey, she said she would be comfortable at either position during worlds.

She admits the running instead of skating is one of the more noticable differences between the two types of hockey.

“But in the end it’s all the same sport. It helps me a lot, ball hockey with ice hockey, and ice hockey with ball hockey,” Finke said.

The Gas City Ball Hockey League holds it’s championship games on Sunday, and will host youth provincials in the city for the first time on Friday.

A tournament Finke has competed in with the boys, and a few girls a number of times over the years.

She hopes to help inspire more young girls in the city to take up the sport.

“I really hope I can be someone that the girls can look up to and can keep continuing to play ball hockey and grow the female side of it.”