Female Flyers Taking It One Game At A Time

“One game at a time that will take care of itself. If we keep playing like we have been playing we will be fine,” assistant coach Darrell Perras for the Midale 18A female Flyers of the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League said.

Perras and Flyers head coach Shane Kaufmann gave an update on how the team has been performing in the past two months.

“We have been playing really well,” Kaufmann said.

In the last couple of months the team fell to fourth place and at the present time is tied for second place with the Balcarres Barracudas in the south division 18A in Saskatchewan Female Hockey League (SFHL) action.

Both teams have 15 points with Milestone having a game in hand.

“The girls are playing really well. We played the (south division leading) Prairie Storm last night (January 13th) and tied them,” he said.

Although the team plays out of Milestone they draw players from communities in a large radius. Players come from the Milestone, Radville, Midale, Moose Jaw area amongst others.

In the group from Moose Jaw there are four players - Nikita Halyk, Ember DuSomme, Sidney Ellingson and Taryn Sandbeck - who playing their final year of minor hockey out of Milestone as there is no Moose Jaw 18A team.

The coaches and the Moose Jaw players are quick to point out it is a team effort and everyone on the team counts.

It’s a source of pride for the coaches how players from so many different communities have meshed together improving all of the time.

Both coaches credit team manager Chad Nichols with not only set up the schedule but player recruitment.

“He rounds up all of the kids and I already working on next year,” Kaufmann said.

Asked about their recent successes Kaufman joked “good coaching I suppose what do you think Darrell (Perras)?”

Perras was quick to point out it was the players themselves who deserve the credit.

“The girls are just working hard and it shows,” Perras said, “they have been working hard and developing really well.”

“We try to pump their tires and get them going,” Kaufmann said.

Coach Shane Kaufmann talks strategy with his players earlier in the season - MJ Independent file photo

The hard work paid off in December with the Flyers earning a 3 - 1 - 1 record.

On January 7th the usually penalty box prone former Moose Jaw Mavericks product Nikita Halyk more aggressive style of play paid off with a five (5) goal and one (1) assist performance to lead the team to an 8 - 6 victory against the Saskatoon Rush.

Staying out of the penalty box and on the ice was a major emphasis the team was practicing on.

“We try to get them out of the penalty box it is really hard to score from there.”

About the looming fifth wave of the COVID - 19 pandemic Kaufman said the team strictly follows the rules and hopes this year they will get in a full season.

“Hopefully we can finish out the season, not like last year,” he said.

Kaufmann was philosophical about the effects of the pandemic and glad the players could be out on the ice.

“It’s too bad it doesn’t affect us older people a lot (with missed opportunities) but it sucks for the kids because they have lost a lot of opportunities in the last two years…hopefully we can keep playing.”

With the team playing strong there are hopes of a playoff run but the team is focusing on each game at hand due to the league's competitiveness.

“It’s one game at a time,” Perras said adding “anybody who shows up can beat anybody. It’s a really competitive league.”

It is something Coach Kaufmann agrees with.

“It just depends who shows up to play. We had close games against every team we have played this year.”

Despite the close play Kaufmann said the competitive nature made it fun to be in the league this year.

The competitive nature has seen crowds ranging from 85 to over 200 showing up to watch Milestone's only female squad. Milestone in 2016 had 699 inhabitants.

The team is the only female team in Milestone, something the local hockey world would like to see change with more female teams.

Ensuring players have fun is important.

“Even when they are losing they are all dancing in the dressing room. Grooving to the music and getting her done.”