Dell thankful for high school team

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This article was published 20/06/2025 (336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s been an undeniable rise in popularity in female hockey the past three years. Kelsey Dell got in on the ground floor.

The soon-to-be-grad of Crocus Plains School played three years of high school hockey as a goaltender with the Plainsmen on a team made mostly of males.

She enjoyed her rise through the ranks while the game grew across the country, as Hockey Canada has reported a 45 per cent increase in female hockey participation since the launch of the PWHL in 2023.

Dell is now set to embark on another big step, as she will make the jump to the university ranks south of the border.

She’s off to Maryville University – just outside of St. Louis, Mo. – in the fall to play hockey for the Saints women’s hockey team.

“I’m very excited. It’s coming up very fast, but I can’t wait to get down there and start playing hockey with them,” said Dell. “The nerves haven’t set in yet, but I’m sure they will.”

Dell grew up in Winnipeg before her family moved to Brandon in the middle of her Grade 9 year.

The product of the Winnipeg Saints AA girls program and the Fort Garry Twins was always a goalie and always had dreams of playing at the highest level.

After the move, Dell tried out for the AAA ranks but was unsuccessful in a pool of very capable goalies, so she made lemonade out of lemons.

She was encouraged to try out for the Plainsmen boys team rather than pursuing other opportunities.

Crocus had one returning goalie, a spot for one more, and a handful trying out.

The then Grade 10 student made it, before making an impact for the Plainsmen. She played sparingly that rookie season but became part of a goalie tandem by the time she was in Grades 11 and 12.

“It was definitely very different,” Dell said. “I had never played on a boy’s team, and it was very clear that I was the only girl there. But also the jump in the level of hockey. To go from a house league team to high school boys was a big switch for me. The first while was kinda tough, but I figured it out and got better.”

She steadily improved, not only thanks to the stiff competition but also additional goalie coaching.

The Plainsmen slid into the Westman High School Hockey League playoffs this past season with a 23-19 record before bowing out to the Glenboro/Carberry/Baldur Wildcats in the first round.

She shared responsibility in the crease with goalie partner Jaxon Derlago, and Dell credited the entire team and coaching staff for making her feel welcome.

“I feel like as a girl on a guy’s team it was obviously different, but everyone was very respectful,” said Dell.

“I never felt left out of anything. As time went on everything just improved. I got along with everyone. They included me. On bus trips there would be times when we were all just hanging out like a team, and they always made sure I was included in team dinners and even some things outside of hockey.”

“We weren’t the strongest team in the league, and we knew that, but our coaches did a great job of keeping us together. Playing with this team was just awesome,” Dell added.

As women’s hockey has grown, Dell’s opportunities in the game have as well, and she may well only just beginning.

Maryville currently plays in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 1, but they’ve been conditionally approved to join the NCAA in the next two years.

The arena is currently undergoing upgrades to the tune of $5 million dollars, meaning before Dell’s done she could be an NCAA athlete, which opens the door to increased scholarship and NIL money.

For now, the focus is simply to get better by focusing on the positives that lie ahead and ignoring the negative news headlines that have come from the United States as of late.

“My dad’s big into the news. I’ll hear about it every now and then at the dinner table, but I try to block that out and just focus on hockey,” Dell said with a laugh.

Dell will spend the rest of the summer working at the landfill in Brandon as well as with one of her goalie idols Tyler Plante in the gym.

She credited Plante as well as Dan Ferguson, Tyler Rice and Ryan White as major coaching influences in her life as well as the entire goaltending scene at the Western Canadian Hockey Academy where she’s spent numerous sessions on the ice facing shots from the U18 Wheat Kings while working alongside other local goalies like Carson Bjarnason.

The high school hockey stage and playing with boys is done, but Dell is thankful for the altered route that provided her the opportunity to keep chasing her hockey dreams.

“I’m just so excited to get down there and start playing with the girls,” said Dell. “I’ve met the team and they’re all amazing.”

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com