BY STEVEN MAH -January 31, 2022
Southwest Booster

The Swift Current Innovation Credit Union Wildcats stretched their Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League winning streak to six games with a 6-2 win over the visiting Weyburn Goldwings on Sunday.

Kiana McNinch led the Wildcats with three goals and one assist, her second career hat trick. Linemate Laiken Swan registered a goal and three assists, while Jerzey Watteyne picked up two assists. Ella Wingert added a shorthanded goal and Addison Eurich also scored. Cydny Price and Jessica Bouffard added assists. Aurora Van Wormer earned the win with 10 saves.

Lexi Peace took the loss despite making 38 saves. Hadley Revenko opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, while Swift Current’s Paisley Arntsen added a power play goal for the Goldwings.

The Wildcats remain third with a 13-7-3-0 record, while Weyburn fell to 1-20-1-1.

The Wildcats will be right back in league action on Monday when they visit the second-place Notre Dame Hounds.

Published: Sunday, 16 January 2022 21:01
Written by David Zammit

The Swift Current Innovation Credit Union U18 Female AAA Wildcats extended their winning streak to five games on Saturday night in a unique home game.

In Rosetown hosting the Prince Albert Bears, the Wildcats overcame a one-goal deficit eking out a 2-1.

Gull Lake’s Sadie Keller scored both Swift Current goals 17 seconds apart just over a minute into the second period. The first marker was assisted by Samantha Thompson and the second by Ava Metzger.

Wildcats goalie Karlee Lehner made 24 saves for her league-leading tenth win on the season.

With the win, their third straight against Prince Albert, Swift Current is now 15-7 and will be off until January 30 when they host the 1-17-1 Weyburn Gold Wings.

Published: Thursday, 13 January 2022 11:49
Written by David Zammit

It was a Christmas present a day early for a current Swift Current Innovation Credit Union U18 Female AAA Wildcat.

On Christmas Eve, the AAA team shared forward Laiken Swan had committed to attending Lakeland College this fall to play for the Rustlers program.

“The coach [Morgan Mann] contacted me earlier… so I went down to Lloydminster and checked out the school,” she said. “Then I signed.”

The Rustlers currently own a 13-4 record this season but will be switching from the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in Swan’s inaugural campaign.

“It’s a newer team so there will be lots of playing time,” the third-year Wildcat said played a big factor in her decision making.

The 17-year-old from Plenty, Saskatchewan, will be enrolling in the school’s business program with hopes of a career in accounting or real estate.

Swan has scored six times and added seven assists in 21 Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League games this season.

Published: Thursday, 13 January 2022 11:49
Written by David Zammit

It was a Christmas present a day early for a current Swift Current Innovation Credit Union U18 Female AAA Wildcat.

On Christmas Eve, the AAA team shared forward Laiken Swan had committed to attending Lakeland College this fall to play for the Rustlers program.

“The coach [Morgan Mann] contacted me earlier… so I went down to Lloydminster and checked out the school,” she said. “Then I signed.”

The Rustlers currently own a 13-4 record this season but will be switching from the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in Swan’s inaugural campaign.

“It’s a newer team so there will be lots of playing time,” the third-year Wildcat said played a big factor in her decision making.

The 17-year-old from Plenty, Saskatchewan, will be enrolling in the school’s business program with hopes of a career in accounting or real estate.

Swan has scored six times and added seven assists in 21 Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League games this season.

Published: Wednesday, 12 January 2022 12:00
Written by David Zammit

It will be a homecoming this fall for a Swift Current Innovation Credit Union U18 Female AAA Wildcats player that’s off to university.

Third-year Wildcats forward Samantha Thompson committed to her hometown’s University of Regina just days before Christmas.

“[I was] pretty determined to play hockey after AAA,” she said regarding the commitment. “I talked to Sarah [Hodges, the Cougars head coach] and I was pretty excited to go back home, I’ve been gone for four years. I will be able to watch my sister play AAA next year if she decides to play at home. I’m just pretty excited to go back to my family.”

Aside from the family factor and it being her hometown, she’ll be joining a current teammate in Wildcats defenceman Shelby Rublee and a former teammate from the Melville Prairie Fire in Heather Fiske.

“It will be good to know some people,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be a benefit, I’m really excited to play with her [Rublee] again, we’re pretty close so it will be good to go there together.”

Hodges was impressed by Thompson’s two-way play as a centre, her skating, and her shooting.

The 18-year-old will be enrolling in the school’s pre-nutrition and pharmacy program with future ambitions of becoming a dietician.

This season with the Wildcats, Thompson has scored four goals and tallied 13 assists in 20 regular-season games.