MANITOULIN—While there is excitement in the air with all Manitoulin Panther teams gearing up for a new season, it is particularly noteworthy this year as the Manitoulin Panthers hockey organization has ventured into establishing a new all-female hockey team which will play in the Northern Ontario Women’s Hockey League (NOWHL).
The Manitoulin Lady Panthers is the first-ever female team the Panthers have fielded. “We will be playing in the under 18 NOWHL playing against teams from Timmins, Hearst, Kapuskasing and Thunder Bay,” said Panthers coach Kennedy Lanktree.
“We have two exhibition games against the North Bay Lady Lakers Sunday, September 10 at 11 am and 2:30 pm,” said Ms. Lanktree. “We enter our first tournament September 22-24 in Orillia.”
Tryouts for the team took place the last weekend in May, with players from Manitoulin, Espanola and Sudbury taking part.
The Lady Panthers team roster has been set for the season. The team includes Ava Corbiere, Emery Watson, Tessa McGillis-Prior, Abbie Heins, Gracie Gibson, Ali Laginski, Ciera Sokoloski, Nelly Toulouse, Hope Eshkibok, Shaye Ominika, Paungbiisohn Trudeau, Izzy Hughson, Kara Peltier, Zahara Dube and Zee Toulouse. Bench staff includes coach Kennedy Lanktree, assistant coaches Scot Hughson, Sonya Stencell, Al Laginski, and team manager Marcie Hughson.
The Lady Panthers should start league play after Thanksgiving, said Ms. Lanktree.
There are two other Manitoulin Panthers teams that will be playing this year, the Panthers U-13 and U-15 boys’ teams.
