Staff reporter
A Rimbey-based female goaltender has made the final cut for the Alberta U18 Women’s Hockey Team and will be tending the pipes during the 2009 National Women’s U18 Hockey Championship to be held in Surrey, B.C. from Nov. 4 to 8.
Camille Trautman, who currently stops pucks for the Red Deer Sutter Fund AAA Midget Chiefs, was selected to the team following several evaluation camps held throughout the spring and summer.
“It started with 12 to 16 goalies at the very beginning in May,” said Trautman of the grind to make the team. “Then at the next camp in June, there were six goalies at that camp, and then at the Top 25 camp at the end of Sept., there were three goalies left and after that, they called me and said that I had made the team, so I’m very excited.”
The national tournament will feature eight teams playing 18 games over five days culminating with the gold medal game on Nov. 8. Other teams participating include Ontario Blue, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Atlantic, British Columbia and the five-time defending champions Ontario Red.
As for the provincial team, which features six players from Calgary, Trautman said she enjoyed competing for a position in the pre-tournament camps, especially when it came to meeting other goaltenders.
“They were all good,” said the Grade 11 student who attends the Rimbey Jr./Sr. High School of the other goalies. “I play against lots of them in winter hockey, so it was cool getting to know them.”
As for any special training regimen leading up to the tournament, Trautman said she’ll be doing plenty of running on her own as well as special training for her regular team.
“It’s going good,” she said of this season’s performance of the Chiefs. “We’re 4-2 for right points and we’re third in our division right now.”
Based on the fact the provincial team has finished in seventh place in the two previous national championships, Trautman said this year’s version of the team would be looking to improve on that record.
“Hopefully we can improve on that and that’s one of our goals but the eastern provinces are pretty good,” she said.
The team will be departing on Nov. 2 and returning home on Nov. 9.