Four Swift Current Wildcats remain in the hunt to crack the roster of the SaskFirst U18 Female hockey team.
The SaskFirst program released its Top 29 roster on April 15 after the April 10-12 evaluation tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amaya Giraudier (Assiniboia) was one of four goaltenders named to the roster. She was named the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League co-recipient of the Top Goalie award and also shared First-Team All-Star honours after leading the league with 0.949 save percentage. Giraudier tied for the league lead with 14 wins and was second with a 1.20 goals against average.
Joining Giraudier in the crease competition is Aurora Van Wormer. The Swift Current product had a 5-5-2 record with four shutouts and a 2.08 GAA in 12 appearances for the Swift Current Midget AA Wildcats this season. She was 2-0 with a 1.35 GAA in two playoff games before the season was cancelled.
Kindersley’s Shelby Rublee is one of nine defenseman still chasing a spot on the blueline. She registered two assists and 16 penalty minutes in 30 games during her second season with the AAA Wildcats.
Last, but not least, is Gull Lake’s Baylee Kirwan, one of 16 forwards remaining on the Top 29 list. Kirwan finished second in the SFMAAAHL with 29 goals and third with 41 points in 30 games during her third season. The Robert Morris University recruit was named the league’s Most Sportsmanlike Player and a forward on the Second All-Star Team. She helped Saskatchewan win silver at U18 Nationals in Winkler, Manitoba last November, the team’s top finish at Nationals in program history.
As the current restrictions on social gatherings remain, the Top 29 players will take part in a virtual workout and team builder in June. From there, an orientation camp has been scheduled for August 8-9 in Regina. The final camp for these prospective Team Saskatchewan players will be in Saskatoon on September 17-20 for a series of exhibition games. Following the Saskatoon weekend, the final roster will be selected to attend Nationals in Dawson Creek, British Columbia in early November.
