WESTLOCK — In their first outing of the season, the Pembina Pursuit U12 ringette team emerged as the champions of the annual “Turkey Ring” tournament hosted by the St. Albert Ringette Association from Oct. 6-8.
According to Courtney von Rennankampf, who is serving as assistant coach alongside Keeara King, the Thanksgiving weekend tournament marked the girls’ first opportunity to play together this season.
“Together, the girls conquered the competition with strong teamwork, leadership, and just overall positive attitudes towards their teammates,” von Rennankampf said.
She said the Pembina Pursuit won all three of their round robin games against U12 squads from St. Albert on Oct. 6 and 7, which put them in first place and advanced them directly into the finals on Oct. 8.
During the finals, the Pembina Pursuit squad went up against a St. Albert team that had given them some trouble in the round robin. This time, however, they scored a very decisive 10-6 victory.
Regarding the make-up of the team this year, von Rennankampf said several of their players are graduates of the U10 program, which normally plays half-ice, so it’s a big step up to playing full ice games. Many of their other players are returning U12 veterans.
Overall, she said they have a very strong and determined group of girls to work with this year, and the coaching staff (which includes head coach Jaret King and junior coach Paige Tymko) are very excited for the year ahead.
“We are also very fortunate to have a supportive parent and fan base as well,” she added.
