U18 Wildcats to feature balanced group

On Saturday, four members of the U18 Westman Wildcats scored their first goal of the season in a 4-0 victory over the Pembina Valley Hawks. The balanced attack is something the team is going to lean into for the 2026-27 Manitoba U18 Female Hockey League season.

“We want to be known as a fast team, as a gritty team and to have a high hockey IQ,” said head coach Karissa Kirkup. “It’s important to me that those three pieces are intact, so we always have that strong foundation to fall back on regardless of who we are playing.”

Wildcats’ fans should be encouraged by the season opener. Londyn Hrubeniuk was the only player to score multiple points in the contest while six others recorded at least one point.

Equally encouraging was the presence of newcomers Georgia Koop and Lily Wells on the scoresheet. The pair scored a goal each while returners Ava Snyder and Ivy Fry added goal markers of their own.

While the beginning of the season looks very promising, there are plenty of new faces on the U18 Wildcats roster that bring with them questions about how the team will proceed with the season.

FORWARDS

This year’s forward group is substantially different than the one featured last season. The major loss is former captain and leagu-leading scorer Ivy Perkin who averaged more than two points per game last season.

“She was such a pleasure to coach last year,” said Kirkup about Perkin. “She was in on quite a few goals last year, but so far this year, our team has sure shown balanced scoring.”

With 60 points in 28 games last year, it will be difficult for Westman to replace Perkin’s overwhelming scoring. There isn’t a single player who is poised to fill that gap, so replacing it in the aggregate may be the only option.

There are six new faces in the forward group including Brandon native Shayla Duncalfe who moved over from the U15 Wheat Kings. Duncalfe scored 10 goals and added eight assists, finishing the year with 18 points.

The four other additions are Demi Hodson, Abbey Oliver, Koop and Wells. All four newcomers finished last season as top five scorers on the U15 Wildcats.

There’s a ton of potential for scoring in this group based on past performances. Koop and Wells both played call-up games for the U18 team last year, with Wells scoring a goal in her only appearance.

Hodson and Koop tied for the lead in points on the U15 Wildcats with 55 points followed by wells at 43 and Oliver who ended the year with 29. All four girls were better than a point per game.

As impressive as the stats are, all five new forwards will have to adjust to the pace of play at the U18 level, which could slow their scoring. The returners will need to help them acclimate.

The backbone of the group will consist of 2009-born forward Jaedyn Hoemsen, who will captain this year’s team, along with 2010-born players Chloe Astle, Londyn Hrubeniuk and Ivy Fry, who will be one of the team’s four alternate captains.

“We are super excited,” said Kirkup. “We’ve got a balanced lineup; we’ve got 10 forwards and at this point in the year, (we’re) trying different combinations as well as special teams and seeing what sticks.”

DEFENCE

With five returning players on defence, the situation is night and day when compared to the forwards. The group is very experienced with just one new addition on the blue-line.

There are four returning 2010-born defenders: Kasia Baranyk, Callie Franklin, Addison Henwood and Snyder. Hadley Robertson is the sole returning 2011-born defender from last year’s team.

Franklin led the D-corps in scoring last year with two goals and 15 assists in her second year playing at the U18 level. Baranyk, another girl going into her third year of U18s, finished just behind her with four goals and nine assists. Both will act as alternate captains along with Snyder.

Logan Rome is the only new addition in the group. She scored two goals and added eight assists in 23 games with the U15 Brandon Wheat Kings.

“She’s fitting in well with the core of our D that we’ve had around for a few years, and overall, our D are steady,” said Kirkup. “They’re very steady; they’re very coachable.”

With so many experienced defenders, Rome will be able to take her time and adjust to the U18 level. She won’t need to shoulder heavy minutes from the get-go and can learn from the older girls in the group.

The experience of the defensive group offsets the less experienced forward group.

GOALIES

Like many teams, the Wildcats goalie tandem will feature an experienced goaltender and a newcomer.

Indigo Stone, the 2009-born netminder, returns for her third year at the U18 level. In 15 games last year, she maintained a very impressive 1.59 goals-against average as well as a .933 save percentage.

“She will definitely be counted on as a natural leader on our team as well and kind of our steady go-to player,” said Krikup.

Former U15 Wheat Kings goalie Alana Champagne will be the second half of the tandem. In 13 games last season, she maintained a 1.92 goals-against average as well as a .929 save percentage.

While she lacks experience at the U18 level, she has quickly won the trust of her teammates.

“She’s a rookie on our team but doesn’t play like it,” said Kirkup. “The girls are confident with her in there, and she’s a really great addition to our team.”

Like Rome, Champagne can take her time adjusting to life at the U18 level with an experienced veteran in Stone to help her when needed.

Overall, the tandem should be a strong one. Stone is proven, and Champagne has a lot of potential, as her numbers indicate.

With a win under their belt, the Wildcats will continue their season this weekend with a game against the Interlake Lightning on Saturday.

The Wildcats will look to move to 2-0 against a Lightning squad that lost their season opener to the Winnipeg Ice in a nail-biting 4-3 finish.

“Our goal is to play Wildcat Hockey game in and game out,” said Kirkup. “We just want to be our steady, fast-paced, high-IQ type of team.”

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com