Local young hockey stars embrace Rivalry Series occasion

Prospera Place featured a sellout crowd as Canada kicked off the seven-game Rivalry Series with a 4-3 shootout loss to the United States.

Among those watching, were members of the RINK Hockey Academy Female U18 Prep Team, including Kaitlyn Mallette, Gracie Graham, and Chloe Primerano.

All three have dreams of wearing the maple leaf on the ice one day.

Mallette, the daughter of Rockets Head Coach Kris Mallette, said while the game met her expectations of excitement, it reiterated the message of staying on course, and putting in the work.

“It was an amazing opportunity to be here, watching people who I aspire to be one day live. They’re a very structured, and skilled hockey team,” she said. “For me it’s just sticking to the process. Show up every day, get one percent better, if I work hard, be a good teammate, stay in love with the game, it should all fall into place.”

Graham, who attended the U18 female summer camp for Hockey Canada, imagines herself in the jersey one day and was really excited to see the full house.

“I was looking down at all the little girls and just imagining them looking up to their idols just like I did one day and I mean, who wouldn’t want to be one of those girls on the ice?,” she said. “There’s lots of different routes that everyone follows and I’m not exactly sure how my journey will go, but I’m just going to keep on the gas pedal and working hard every day.”

For Primerano, she made history this past WHL Bantam Draft, becoming the first female skater drafted by a Canadian Hockey League team.

Watching the national team along with many young female players in the crowd, Primerano stayed modest about getting to that position one day.

“It would be an honour. I don’t even know if I can think about what it’d be like, I think I’d have to experience it first,” she said. “You can’t let up and you got to keep going, work hard, and maybe I’ll get there one day.

The game itself featured a back-and-forth battle between the two rivals that carried on until the final buzzer.

Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter scored for the United States in the shootout. Loren Gabel was stopped by American goaltender Nicole Hensley to end the game as all four Canadian shooters came up empty.

Hensley also stoned Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin on a penalty shot with 39.2 seconds left in overtime.

Emily Clark put Canada ahead at 6:25 of the third period when she tipped in a Renata Fast point shot. But Carpenter shovelled in a loose puck on the power play to tie it with 89 seconds remaining in regulation.

Knight and Hannah Brandt beat Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer to stake the Americans to a 2-0 lead. Canada’s Claire Thompson and Poulin answered with goals 62 seconds apart midway through the second period.

The second game goes Thursday in Kamloops. The United States will host Sunday in Seattle.

-- With files from The Canadian Press.