Sophie Shirley is excited to be completing for gold on home soil at the upcoming IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship. Hockey Canada announced Monday that the 16-year-old forward from Saskatoon has been selected to don the Maple Leaf in January 2016.
“It’s a huge honour to get to represent our province and get to represent your country as well. I’m really excited for this upcoming month and honestly, I can’t wait to get down to St. Catharines and get things going, it should be awesome,” said Shirley.
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Shirley will be only Saskatchewan player on Team Canada. She is a former member of the Saskatchewan female midget AAA hockey league’s Saskatoon Stars.
“Yeah, I’ll be the only one from here, from Saskatchewan, going down and representing … should be pretty cool.”
She currently plays for the Notre Dame Hounds in the Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL).
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“It’s going really well. At the start it took some time to get used to but just being away from home and everything but it’s grown on me and I’m really starting to like it here, liking the team … especially the hockey it’s just a whole other level of competition,” said Shirley.
On Wednesday, the she shared over the phone what exactly she loves about hockey in-between classes in Wilcox, Sask. and is happy to just be on the national roster.
“Getting so close with the team and being able to grow as a team and compete as a team and being able to go out there, win and lose tough games together. It’s just lots of fun,” said Shirley.
“I’m a centreman but I play wing as well, right wing, left wing. Honestly I’m a forward, I’ll play any spot where I’m put and I’m happy to play anywhere.”
She credits family for getting her into the sport and steering her away from a different athletic route.
“I started out as a speedskater when I was about five years old and then I think it was a year later or so at the age of six I joined hockey. My brothers kind of got me into it so that’s how I joined it,” said Shirley.
Her older brother, Collin, plays for Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League.
Canada’s national women’s under-18 team took home silver last year after losing in the final to the U.S. This year at the world championship, Canada will be looking to add a fifth gold to their collection.
The team’s first game is against Russia on Jan. 8 and then Czech Republic on Jan. 9 before a showdown with the United States on Jan. 11.
The gold-medal game is scheduled for Jan. 15.
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