Lloydminster Steelers propel Project PJ to success

LLOYDMINSTER - What started out as a local initiative for the Lloydmister PWM Steelers of the Alberta Female Hockey League, quickly turned into a league and province-wide success story this holiday season.

Project PJ was started by 12 year-old Olivia Brockhoff in 2015, after a friend of her sister, who was going through cancer treatment at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, complained about the pajamas provided to her by the hospital. Now, every year, Olivia collects donations of pajamas to give to the hospital.

Tanya Plamondon, whose daughter plays for the Steelers, brought the idea to the Midget AAA team, and it snowballed from there.

"I’ve known Olivia and her parents for a long time, and I’ve been donating pajamas since she started (Project PJ)," said Tanya. "I wanted our team to do something big this season, so I mentioned it to (Head Coach) Randy (Laumbach), and we went from there. It worked out awesome since we had six home games to collect the pajamas in November, and we collected 89 pairs our first game through all us and our fans. The following weekend, we had the Calgary Fire and Edmonton Pandas accept our challenge to them, which was all in good fun, and the response was great. We also had the Rocky Mountain Raiders accept our challenge."

The Fire, Pandas and Raiders collected a combined 140 pairs of pajamas. The captain of last year’s Steelers team, Tessa Mitchell, also challenged her current team, the MacEwan Griffins, to join the cause, adding another 125 pairs of pajamas to the team’s total, which were presented to the team on November 25, with Mitchell conducting the ceremonial faceoff.

After an incredibly successful campaign for Project PJ, the Steelers managed to collect an astounding 513 pairs of pajamas, which were presented to Olivia during the team’s game on November 26.

As of December 1, Olivia has collected over 1000 pairs of Pajamas through Project PJ, all of which will be donated to the Stollery Children’s Hospital.

Hockey Gives Back - We want to hear from you!

Hockey Alberta would like to showcase all of the hockey teams across Alberta who give back to their community this holiday season. Send your team’s story, along with photos, to [email protected] to be featured on Hockey Alberta’s website.

Hockey Alberta is proud to unveil a new section at hockeyalberta.ca. Home Ice Feature stories will focus on interesting stories about the individuals and groups who make a difference within the hockey community in Alberta. If you have a suggestion for a Home Ice Feature story, email [email protected].

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the host sites for the 2018 Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial.

2018 Provincial Host Sites >

A total of 39 Provincial Championships will be hosted across the province, at locations ranging from La Crete in the north, Taber in the south, to Marwayne in the east and Fort St. John in the west.

Week one (March 15-18) features 14 tournaments: Bantam A, Bantam B, Bantam C, Bantam D, Bantam Female A, Bantam Female B, Atom AA Major, Atom AA Minor, Atom A, Atom B, Atom C, Atom D, and Atom Female.

Another 15 tournaments are set for week two (March 22-25): Senior AA, Midget A, Midget B, Midget C, Midget D, Midget Female AAA, Midget Female A, Midget Female B, Peewee A, Peewee B, Peewee C, Peewee D, and Peeweee Female A.

The 2018 Provincials wrap up with six tournaments in week three (March 29 - April 1): Junior B, Junior C, Midget AA, Midget Female Elite, Bantam AA, Peewee AA.

The following provincial champions will be decided via league playoffs: Senior AAA, Junior A, Midget AAA, and Bantam AAA.

ATB Financial will once again headline as the presenting sponsor of the Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, continuing a long-standing relationship with Hockey Alberta.

Hockey Alberta’s month-long “March to a title” features provincial championship tournament action during three weekends in March and April, along with four champions crowned through league playoff series. Organizations interested in hosting a provincial championship tournament completed a detailed bid process, with a bid committee evaluating the submissions.

The majority of teams competing in minor Provincial Championship tournaments qualify by winning a zone playdown. Playdowns start in mid-January across the province, with up to 1,000 teams vying for the right to represent their zone at the provincial championships. Host teams receive an automatic berth in the championship they are hosting, although they do participate in zone playdowns, and have the opportunity to win their zone title.

Hosts for the following events are still being accepted and reviewed: Midget Female B, Bantam Female B, and Atom AA Major . Interested applicants can contact Bryden Burrell, Coordinator, Hockey Operations.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the female rosters for the 2018 Alberta Winter Games.

Six teams will take to the ice in Fort McMurray on February 16-19, with 120 female players (born 2003 and 2004) ready to take the first step in the Team Alberta program.

2018 Alberta Winter Games Female Rosters >

Twenty players comprise each roster, along with volunteers serving as head coach, assistant coach, coach mentor, and director of operations. Rosters were selected based on performances at regional camps held December 8-10 in Morinville and Innisfail.

Of the 120 players selected, 102 play in the Bantam Elite division of the Alberta Female Hockey League.

Male rosters were announced on November 29.

2018 Alberta Winter Games Male Rosters >

The Alberta Winter Games is a multi-sport event for developing athletes, aged 11-17 years old. The Winter Games were first hosted in 1976 in Banff, and occur each even-numbered year. The athletes are selected to represent the eight zones in Alberta in 20 sports such as hockey, badminton, gymnastics, skiing and skating. Hockey Alberta coordinates the ice hockey portion of the Winter Games, as a core segment of its Development Program.

RED DEER - Seventeen of the top 2003 and 2004-born male athletes living north of the 55th parallel have been selected to represent Team Alberta North for the 2018 Arctic Winter Games.

Team Alberta North Male Roster >

Simon Juckes and Damon Jeffs will serve as Team Alberta North Male’s Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively. Juckes returns to Team Alberta North after winning a gold medal in 2016 as an Assistant Coach. Selection camps ran December 8-10 in High Prairie, and saw over 150 athletes turn out to compete for a spot with Team Alberta North.

Hockey Alberta’s Bantam Male squad, along with a Junior Female team, will compete in the Arctic Winter Games March 17-24 in Fort Smith and Hay River, NWT.

Female team selection camp runs January 5-7 in Slave Lake.

The Arctic Winter Games are the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic completion, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents. Athletic competition features sports that enjoy worldwide popularity alongside traditional Arctic Sports and Dene games. The cultural component is a pillar of the Games, featuring visual arts, dance, ceremonies and galas with participants from across the circumpolar region.

Each hockey team is comprised of 17 players and two coaches. Teams participate in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for medal-round pairings. One gold ulu is awarded in each division. Teams that regularly participate in ice hockey include Alaska, Yukon, Alberta North, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Eligible communities for the Arctic Winter Games are located North of the 55th Parallel.

RED DEER - Book the date on your calendar now - Saturday, January 20.

Hockey Alberta is proud to celebrate the second annual Alberta Hockey Day across the province.

The theme for the 2018 edition of Alberta Hockey Day is age-appropriate hockey, and the importance of using cross-ice or half-ice surfaces at the Initiation and Novice levels.

Alberta Hockey Day is being hosted in six locations - Brooks, High Level, Paradise Valley, Red Deer, Strathmore and Westlock

Fun and interactive on-ice activities are scheduled throughout the day, with special skills development clinics and other events, along with a variety of off-ice sessions and seminars for players, coaches and parents. All events are designed for both new and existing participants in our great sport with a focus on fun, skills and friendships.

Alberta Hockey Day Schedule >

Activities in some locations require pre-registration, while others are open on a drop-in basis. Check back regularly, as activities for each location are being updated regularly as details are confirmed.

For the current information on Alberta Hockey Day activities in your area, check hockeyalberta.ca

RED DEER - Two former Team Alberta players are among the 21 selected to play for Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2018 Nations Cup.

Defenders Codie Cross (Airdrie) and Jess Healey (Edmonton) will help Team Canada go for gold this year at the annual tournament. Cross played for Team Alberta three times: twice at the National Women’s Under 18 Championships in 2013 and 2015, as well as the Canada Winter Games in 2015, while Healey skated for Team Alberta in 2012 and 2013 at the U18 Nationals.

A pair of Albertans will also be a part of the team’s coaching staff for the 2018 Nations Cup, including former Team Alberta player and coach Carla MacLeod (Calgary), who was recently selected as the Head Coach of Team Alberta’s U18 Female squad for the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Joining MacLeod on staff will be Video Coach Adam Tresoor (Calgary).

The 2018 Nations Cup runs January 3-6 in Füssen, Germany.

Hockey Alberta is proud to unveil a new section at hockeyalberta.ca. Home Ice Feature stories will focus on interesting stories about the individuals and groups who make a difference within the hockey community in Alberta. If you have a suggestion for a Home Ice Feature story, email [email protected].