PWHL team leads hockey camp for female players in Iqaluit

Forty-seven girls in Iqaluit trained with a professional women’s hockey team over the weekend.

From right, players Sophia Mearns, Mary Suvega, Olivia Sulurayok and Hazel Kilukishak, in the back, await their turn to get back onto the ice between drills at a Nunavut Ukpiit Hockey Association camp. (Photo by Lilli Akpaleeapik)

The Nunavut Ukpiit Hockey Association hosted the camp Friday to Sunday at the Arctic Winter Games Arena in collaboration with the Toronto Sceptres, a Professional Women’s Hockey League team.

Professional players Emma Woods, Raygan Kirk and Brooke Disher arrived in Iqaluit Friday with Kate Germain, their strength and conditioning coach, to lead the event.

This was Woods’ second time visiting the territory for a hockey camp.

“It’s just been great to work with all the girls,” said Woods, a forward for the Sceptres.

“You can just see they pay attention to everything we say, and you can see they’re learning throughout the weekend. Honestly it’s been such a treat coming up and working with this group.”

The players and coach led workouts at Aqsarniit Middle School, on-ice drills and scrimmages.

Creating a hockey camp for young girls was a big priority for association president Jesse Mike, who grew up in Iqaluit.

She remembers convincing a friend to join her on the ice at 11 years old so she wouldn’t be the only girl playing hockey with adults. Not only did Mike grow up with few other girls in the sport, she said, but there was also never a time in her career where she had an Inuk coach.

“Now these girls have no idea what it’s like to live in a world where hockey isn’t for them,” she said in an interview. “They can aspire to have a career that involves hockey and that’s a big part of why it’s important for us to have Inuit women as coaches, so that they can see themselves as coaches.”

The Nunavut Ukpiit Hockey Association hopes to continue programs similar to this throughout the year, Mike said.