It is the age when dreams start. Even if not reached, they are important to hold and harbour. Every girl playing in the famous War for the Roses elite hockey tournament inside West Edmonton Mall will be aspiring to pull on the red and white jersey one day in a Winter Olympics, three Island players among them.
Goaltender Lauryn Gladstone and forward Niayh Morris of the Victoria Reign and blue-liner Taya Lonsdale of Shawnigan Lake are on the Junior Lady Canucks team 鈥� essentially the sa国际传媒 and Yukon all-star team for the 12- and 13-year-old age group 鈥� in the War for the Roses tournament beginning Saturday.
The Junior Lady Canucks are annual participants in the tournament along with Toronto Pro Hockey, Team 颅Manitoba/ Saskatchewan, Team 颅Quebec, Team Minnesota Girls, 颅sa国际传媒icut Junior Rangers and Boston 颅Junior Bruins. Because of travel restrictions, only the Canadian teams will be participating this year. That doesn鈥檛 diminish the joy of being a part of this event. Several future Olympians for sa国际传媒 and the U.S. have come through the tournament during their youth hockey days.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very exciting opportunity,鈥� said Gladstone.
Especially after the last year and a half.
鈥淚t鈥檚 mostly been practices,鈥� she said, of the pandemic 颅regimen in youth hockey.
But the re-opening of sports included the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which Gladstone said provided plenty of inspiration. More so for her even than the Canadian women鈥檚 gold in soccer was the bronze medal in softball, because the latter is Gladstone鈥檚 summer sport in the Cordova Bay association.
鈥淚 enjoy playing both softball and hockey but hockey will be my main sport,鈥� she said.
Her idols are Shannon 颅Szabados, gold-medallist 颅goaltender for sa国际传媒 in the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and silver medallist at Pyeongchang 2018, and NHLer Marc-Andre Fleury .
鈥淚 like that Shannon is a girl player and I like Marc-Andre Fleury鈥檚 style,鈥� said Gladstone.
鈥淚 just love being in front of the net and stopping the puck. I would love to make a career of it.鈥�
Goaltending is a family 颅tradition and Gladstone follows dad Reg Gladstone, who played in the crease up to Junior B with the Peninsula Panthers and Saanich Braves (now 颅Predators).
鈥淔rom age seven, a goalie is what I knew I wanted to be,鈥� said Lauryn Gladstone, who is entering Grade 8 at Spencer Middle School, and is in the school鈥檚 hockey academy.
The War for the Roses 颅tournament begins Saturday and runs through next week in Edmonton.
