In form of Saskatoon U18 AAA Stars As you prepare for your playoff push this month, many players and coaches have one more goal in mind.
In just a few weeks, they will head to the Maritimes to represent Saskatchewan and compete against some of the best youth hockey players Canada has to offer.
Saskatoon AAA stars optimistic about new Sask. women’s junior league
This gibbon became pregnant while in isolation. how is that possible?
That includes star forward Avery Barros, who has found the net more than any other player on his team this season with 21 goals in 25 games at the U18 AAA level.
That scoring touch has been noted by Hockey Saskatchewan, as Quinnipiac University commit is one of six stars heading to Prince Edward Island for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
“It’s a huge honor for me,” Barros said. “I have worked very hard to build this team and PEI is definitely a great place to be. I am very excited to represent my province and play against some good provinces.”
Joining Barros on Team Saskatchewan will be star blueliner Jocelyn Fiala, forwards Sage Babe, Kiera Buziak and Ireland Stein, as well as Saskatoon captain Megan Hirschfeld.
According to Hirschfeld, this is recognition of the work he has done with both the Stars and his team, the Saskatchewan Tryouts.
“I worked really hard to be on the team,” Hirschfeld said. “It was a tough effort and Saskatchewan has a lot of strong players, so it was definitely tough. But, I’m happy and doing a lot of work.”
This will be Fiala’s second go-around at the provincial level for Team Saskatchewan, leading all defenders in scoring with 17 points in 25 games this season.
Fiala said getting the chance to play with so many teammates in the East, facing off against other provincial powers, would be a special experience.
Fiala said, “It’s like bringing my team to a new team and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” “It’s amazing because you can make friends already on the team and then you form great bonds with new people.”
A dozen of the final group of 32 players before Team Saskatchewan’s final cut-down were from the Stars organization, which head coach Robin Ulrich said exemplified the standard of success year after year.
“It shows a strong program we’ve put together and really good players,” Ulrich said. “I’m really excited for the Sixers who have the opportunity and the ones that didn’t go, maybe open up an opportunity down the road.”
450 Special Olympics athletes compete in Saskatoon after two-year hiatus
18-year-old Ontario woman becomes youngest ever $48M jackpot winner – on her first lottery ticket: OLG
With six star players tabbed for the Canada Winter Games roster, both Ulrich and assistant coach Corey Harner will also be behind the bench for Team Saskatchewan this month.
“Obviously it’s one of those things in your career when you get an opportunity to work with that group and go to the Canada Games, it’s a whole different experience,” Ulrich said.
Team Saskatchewan’s first game will come on February 27 in Summerside, PEI, as they begin their quest for gold versus Team British Columbia.
The final submission roster of Saskatchewan’s athletes and flag-bearers for the 2023 Canada Winter Games will be formally announced on February 8 in Saskatoon.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.