The Barrie Jr. Sharks are looking to take a bite out of the competition in the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL). So far, so good.
Eight games into the season, the Sharks are 6-1-1 with two big games this weekend at what the team calls the ‘Shark Tank,’ the East Bayfield Community Centre.
Head coach Ed Mauro says the weekend tilts against Ottawa — tonight and Saturday night — will be tough tests for the club.
“We’ll be facing Ottawa (the Lady Senators), who are also doing very well and are considered one of the top teams in the country,” said Mauro. “These are games we want to win and games that fans will love to watch.”
Saturday's game will add to the history of women’s junior hockey as it will be shown on Rogers TV — a first for the league.
“This is an exciting time for us, for the league and for women’s sports in general,” said Mauro. “Being on TV and getting people out to the games is the best way to show everyone the great talent that is out there.”
This junior Sharks started in 2004 and the PWHL is the women’s equivalent to the OHL.
Mauro said that as the most competitive form of junior hockey girls will play, the action is always fast-paced.
“Slowly but surely, female league hockey will be on the mind of those looking to watch an entertaining game. It's beyond what most people think and once you see the atmosphere and the action, you get hooked,” said Mauro.
Last year’s Sharks were the youngest team in the PWHL and went to the playoffs for the first time in their history, before being eliminated in the quarter finals.
“That was a great squad and we have a lot of those players back with their hockey maturity having grown. It really is an incredible group of players who push each other and want to win together.”
The proud coach said there will be some scholarship announcements coming soon regarding players who will be moving on next year to university hockey.
The PWHL and women’s hockey, in general, still deals with low attendance when compared to their male counterparts. Mauro is stumped by that considering the league feeds the national squads that many fans enjoy cheering for.
“About 75 percent of Team Canada comes from our league, it's high level hockey. To put it in perspective for the community, we have the same designation as the Colts, obviously without the history behind the league, but we are working at it every year.”
The games this weekend against Ottawa are on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Admission is free but the Sharks are hoping fans will help them donate 1,000 pounds of food to the Barrie Food Bank over those two games.
The food bank is currently mostly looking for canned meat, cereal, toiletries and lunch snacks.
The organization recently raised more than $2,000 for Gilda’s Club.
For more information about the team, email [email protected].
The schedule for games for the season is on the website, available here.
