Women’s National USports Hockey Championship
Women’s National USports Hockey Championship
Posted on April 10, 2024
We did it for the love of the game, for connection with our Saskatoon community, and for the women who continue to create space for each generation after them. The 2024 Women’s National USports Hockey Championship was an inspiring 4 days of grit, focus, passion, and a drive to be the best. We are honoured to have had the opportunity to sponsor this championship event, not only for the importance of helping to drive forward the future for women in hockey, but because it hits at a personal level for those of us with daughters who get up at 5:00 AM for hockey practice, lace up their skates, and do their best to be a part of their team and a part of something bigger and greater than they can imagine.
See Them, Be Them
See Them, Be Them is a story of little girls who grew up tying their skates in schoolyard rinks, games arranged by dedicated moms and dads finding a way for their kids to get ice time - if only on outdoor rinks on playgrounds. Girls, whose hockey path would find them changing under the bleachers in university games because there was no change room for girls in hockey. Girls who fought to take up space, to play the game their way, and forged a path forward to an event like the Women’s National USports Hockey Championship hosted by the University of Saskatchewan at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon. Those girls, now women, coach the teams who arrived to play for the gold medal in university level hockey, and that four-day championship created core memories for the athletes who will continue to move forward into their next year of hockey, and athletes who will graduate and hang up their hockey skates as university level athletes.
The women’s Huskie hockey team played hard to a sold-out game opening night and Huskie fans spread green and white throughout the arena to show their support and passion for our team. While our team did not advance to the gold medal game, we were so proud to be there supporting our athletes.
Gold Medal Game
The anticipation in the crowd began to ripple through the arena as the players made their way onto the ice. The familiar game day melody of anthems, cheers and noisemakers filled the arena, the concession scents of popcorn and candy prompted last minute trips for snacks, and the chatter of families, friends, and fans created the nostalgic comfort of watching a hockey game together. While our Huskies were not on the ice for the final championship gold medal game, we cheered for these young women when they scored, we commiserated when they missed, and we felt both their joy at winning and sorrow at losing when the final buzzer marked the end of the game. It was never just a game, it was never just a visiting team. It was the feeling of something bigger, of being in a building that valued women in sports as deeply as the male athletes. For the little girls in the seats around us, for the sons and brothers learning a new normal, See Them, Be Them was an initiative our team at Mitsubishi wanted to be a part of and support.
Suspenseful Shootout & Trip to Toronto
In addition to an exciting gold medal final, there was the playful, fun shootout between the second and third period. A few lucky fans had their names drawn from social media posts and won spots to take their best shot for a chance to win a trip for two to Toronto. One passionate hockey family won a spot on the ice to participate in the shootout and dad, Myron, scored the winning shot for a trip to Toronto.
Hockey Nights in Sask
All of the teams who participated in this championship event gave our community an exciting four days of elite hockey, family fun, and memories we will hold onto forever. For the moms and dads who haul hockey gear, kids, snacks and teammates to community rinks, who flood their own backyard rinks, and who show up for early morning practices and late-night games, we see you, we thank you, and we look forward to watching your daughters play in the next women’s hockey championship games to come.