The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) Secret Dream Gap Tour made a stop in Barrie this weekend, bringing some of the best hockey talent in the world to Sadon Arena.
Team Harvey’s and Team Adidas hit the ice at 1 p.m. Saturday during the fourth stop in the six-game showcase, which is being presented by the Ontario Hockey League and featured regular-season Secret Dream Gap Tour games in Peterborough, Niagara, Barrie and Kitchener.
Barrie resident Jarrod Tryon bought his five-year-old daughter, Briar — who just started to learn how to skate and even made it onto the jumbotron — to watch the game and cheer on their favourite player: Olympic and world champion Emily Clark.
“We are a big supporter of women’s hockey and Team Canada,” Tryon said, adding when they learned Clark would be playing, they knew they wanted to cheer her on in person.
“Growing up, I don’t think there was an opportunity for women to make a professional career like there is now. These players have an opportunity now to make a living and make an actual salary doing something they love, and it’s important she gets to see that there are possibilities for her out there, whether it’s hockey or whatever her true passion is. There are opportunities for women just like there were for men when I was growing up.”
Alliston’s Emma Tameanko grew up playing hockey. She currently plays ball hockey and got a front-row seat to Saturday’s game.
“I just love coming to the women’s games. I’ve been watching them ever since I was a little kid. I just find it so inspiring, and it’s nice to see them living out their dream. It’s great hockey and it’s really important to grow the women’s game, especially for the young players seeing the (women) that they can look up to. I am sure that when these players were growing up, they looked up to (Hayley) Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, so these (women) are inspiring the next generation,” said Tameanko.
Founded in 2019, the PWHPA features four teams comprised of 100 of the world’s best female hockey players. It was formed with the goal of creating a sustainable league that provides equity, fairness, and opportunity in women’s professional hockey.
Fans around the arena could be seen donning their favourite teams’ jerseys, whether it be a red and white Team Canada jersey or the blue and orange of local teams, as were worn by 12-year-old teammates Jordan Rodd, Vienna Brown and Charley Boyle, all of whom play for the Barrie Sharks.
Being able to see some of the best hockey players in the world, said Rodd, who wears No. 22 and plays right wing for her team, was exciting.
“It just goes to show that girls are as good as guys, and it’s not just guys that can do stuff,” she said.
Brown, a goalie who dons No. 30 on her Sharks jersey, has been playing for about five years. She said it’s exciting to watch the league — and women’s hockey in general — grow in popularity.
“It’s gotten way bigger than it used to be. I wanted to watch to see how these girls play and see how it’s going. It’s really awesome. I just love watching people play. I want to play professionally, so I am trying my hardest to make my way up there,” she said.
The purpose of the tour, explained Ashley McLellan, media consultant for the league, is to try to grow the league.
“These are some of the best players in the world, and a lot of them play for their national teams,” she said. “We are just trying to create a league that hasn’t existed before (and) we are … trying to bridge the gap about what girls can dream versus what young boys can dream. Maybe they want to play for Team Canada, but beyond that there hasn’t historically been a league, so I think it’s important they can see players who are playing for teams, or (that they) can be a coach. It’s important they can see how good this is up close. There’s nothing like seeing it in person.”
While the game was close, Team Adidas pulled out the win with an overtime goal by Meaghan Mikkelson, beating Team Harvey’s 2-1.
