The Saskatchewan Heat took on the Calgary Rath on Sunday playing their best game of the weekend in a three-game stand.
The Heat has only been in the National Ringette League (NRL) since September. It’s the first Saskatchewan team to join the NRL in 10 years.
The team sits in the lower half of the league standings, however, according to head coach Colleen Butz-Purdue, the team is improving at a rapid pace.
“We knew it was going to be a journey. We knew it was going to be tough. The National Ringette League is not easy, it’s our premier league for this sport and we’re going to have a lot of work to do ahead of us, but the reward at the end of it is going to be worth it,” said Butz-Purdue.
Previously known as the Wild, the team boasts veteran player Mel Brockman who played on Team Canada and was a member of the Wild.
Though, many players are young and eager to learn.
“We’re just going to work on the small things. It’s catching passes, it’s making our checks, making sure we’re open,” said centre Madison Ryan.
The Calgary Rath are two-time defending league champions with a two-season break in between due to COVID-19-cancelled seasons.
Regina native Sam Skaar said their young team stayed positive. She held the Rath to a two goal lead in the first half.
“Everyone was just really ready to go. We were really happy with the first period and we just wanted to keep that going, heading into the next half,” said Skaar.
The Heat fell 7-2 to Calgary but Butz-Purdue said the loss is still a win in her books and her team will continue to grind it out.
“(We’ll) take what we did well here and continue on the next game and just keep fighting. We have Saskatchewan fight. We’ll always fight.”
Saskatchewan will have another chance to take on the Calgary Rath during their next set of games on March 12 in Winnipeg.