This past season, the two Grade 11 Horton students did double duty on the ice as they played for the Valley Wild midget girls’ team and for their school. Carey served as captain of the Griffins, while Hiltz was one of her assistant captains.
The Valley Wild won provincials a year ago, but as far as 2014-2015 is concerned, the midget team had to take a back seat to Horton, which captured the NSSAF D-2 girls’ provincial banner March 29 in Kingston.
“It was exciting,” Hiltz said of winning the high school provincials. “I still get goosebumps just talking about it.”
Carey agreed the win was special.
“No hockey team from Horton, boys or girls, has ever won provincials before,” she said – “and it was the girls who did it first.”
Passion for hockey
Carey, who is from Avonport, and Hiltz, who formerly lived in Hantsport but now calls New Minas home, have both played hockey since they were quite young
Because they are so close in age – Carey turned 17 in January, Hiltz in February – they have been teammates during most of their hockey careers.
“I started when I was five,” Carey said, adding that she played on boys’ teams with Acadia Minor Hockey until she reached midget age, when she started playing with the Valley Wild.
Carey played both forward and defence with the Wild, but spent most of her time playing defence with Horton this season – albeit, a blueliner that liked to carry the puck and control the play, and did it a lot.
Carey took her role as captain seriously, assuming a leadership role on a relatively young Horton team that had only one Grade 12 player, assistant captain Ava Berry.
Carey also plays soccer, both for Horton and Valley United, but adds, “I like soccer, but I love hockey.”
Hiltz started playing hockey at age six. Like Carey, she started out playing on boys’ teams.
“I started girls’ hockey my first year of midget,” she said, playing for the Valley Wild.
While Hiltz also plays soccer, for Horton and for East Kings, hockey is her sport.
“I grew up in a family that played hockey. I learned from my older brothers, and wanted to grow up and be like them,” she said.
Like Carey, Hiltz plays both forward and defence.
“I started out as a forward at the beginning of the season, but moved back to defence at the start of regionals.”
After winning 14 and tying one of 15 regular season games – “we’ve gone undefeated in league play the past two years,” Carey adds – the Griffins lost to both Middleton and Yarmouth at regionals, although they still qualified for provincials.
“We didn’t take it seriously enough as a team,” Hiltz said.
Carey agreed. “It’s not that we were overconfident, we just didn’t finish well,” she adds.
The experience “gave us a wake-up call.” The provincials, at which Horton went undefeated, were another story.
Hockey future
Both Carey and Hiltz have another year of hockey left, both with the Valley Wild and their Grade 12 year at Horton.
“I’m already excited for the hockey season to start again,” Carey said, “though I’m not looking forward to it ending,” because it will mean her career with both teams will be over.
“I’d like to have another year next year just like this one. It would be a great way to finish up.”
Hiltz said she would like to play hockey at a university after she graduates in 2016. She plans to eventually enter the nursing program at Dalhousie.
She is aware Dal has a women’s hockey program, but says wherever she ends up, “I’d like to be recruited.”
Carey would eventually like to go into policing, but is definitely interested in attending university – and playing hockey – although she is not sure where.
In terms of training for the police, “Holland College would be the option locally – and they do have a hockey team – but there are places in Ontario, too.
“I haven’t really thought about it. It seems like only yesterday we were in middle school. Now we’re in high school, having to think about the future.”
Successful Horton squad
Both Carey and Hiltz say the key to Horton’s success this season was “great team chemistry. Everybody got along really well,” Carey said.
That’s something that’s been building, added Hiltz. “It’s been like that the last two years.”
There were past leaders, players like Kathleen Newcombe and Gisele Rudderham, “who showed us the way,” Carey said.
“Now it’s our turn to show the leadership – and our team is looking pretty good for next year, too.”
At the same time, neither young woman was in any kind of a hurry to say goodbye to 2014-2015.
“It was exciting to be the first team from Horton to win provincials,” Carey said. “We made a little history.”
This past season, the two Grade 11 Horton students did double duty on the ice as they played for the Valley Wild midget girls’ team and for their school. Carey served as captain of the Griffins, while Hiltz was one of her assistant captains.
The Valley Wild won provincials a year ago, but as far as 2014-2015 is concerned, the midget team had to take a back seat to Horton, which captured the NSSAF D-2 girls’ provincial banner March 29 in Kingston.
“It was exciting,” Hiltz said of winning the high school provincials. “I still get goosebumps just talking about it.”
Carey agreed the win was special.
“No hockey team from Horton, boys or girls, has ever won provincials before,” she said – “and it was the girls who did it first.”
Passion for hockey
Carey, who is from Avonport, and Hiltz, who formerly lived in Hantsport but now calls New Minas home, have both played hockey since they were quite young
Because they are so close in age – Carey turned 17 in January, Hiltz in February – they have been teammates during most of their hockey careers.
“I started when I was five,” Carey said, adding that she played on boys’ teams with Acadia Minor Hockey until she reached midget age, when she started playing with the Valley Wild.
Carey played both forward and defence with the Wild, but spent most of her time playing defence with Horton this season – albeit, a blueliner that liked to carry the puck and control the play, and did it a lot.
Carey took her role as captain seriously, assuming a leadership role on a relatively young Horton team that had only one Grade 12 player, assistant captain Ava Berry.
Carey also plays soccer, both for Horton and Valley United, but adds, “I like soccer, but I love hockey.”
Hiltz started playing hockey at age six. Like Carey, she started out playing on boys’ teams.
“I started girls’ hockey my first year of midget,” she said, playing for the Valley Wild.
While Hiltz also plays soccer, for Horton and for East Kings, hockey is her sport.
“I grew up in a family that played hockey. I learned from my older brothers, and wanted to grow up and be like them,” she said.
Like Carey, Hiltz plays both forward and defence.
“I started out as a forward at the beginning of the season, but moved back to defence at the start of regionals.”
After winning 14 and tying one of 15 regular season games – “we’ve gone undefeated in league play the past two years,” Carey adds – the Griffins lost to both Middleton and Yarmouth at regionals, although they still qualified for provincials.
“We didn’t take it seriously enough as a team,” Hiltz said.
Carey agreed. “It’s not that we were overconfident, we just didn’t finish well,” she adds.
The experience “gave us a wake-up call.” The provincials, at which Horton went undefeated, were another story.
Hockey future
Both Carey and Hiltz have another year of hockey left, both with the Valley Wild and their Grade 12 year at Horton.
“I’m already excited for the hockey season to start again,” Carey said, “though I’m not looking forward to it ending,” because it will mean her career with both teams will be over.
“I’d like to have another year next year just like this one. It would be a great way to finish up.”
Hiltz said she would like to play hockey at a university after she graduates in 2016. She plans to eventually enter the nursing program at Dalhousie.
She is aware Dal has a women’s hockey program, but says wherever she ends up, “I’d like to be recruited.”
Carey would eventually like to go into policing, but is definitely interested in attending university – and playing hockey – although she is not sure where.
In terms of training for the police, “Holland College would be the option locally – and they do have a hockey team – but there are places in Ontario, too.
“I haven’t really thought about it. It seems like only yesterday we were in middle school. Now we’re in high school, having to think about the future.”
Successful Horton squad
Both Carey and Hiltz say the key to Horton’s success this season was “great team chemistry. Everybody got along really well,” Carey said.
That’s something that’s been building, added Hiltz. “It’s been like that the last two years.”
There were past leaders, players like Kathleen Newcombe and Gisele Rudderham, “who showed us the way,” Carey said.
“Now it’s our turn to show the leadership – and our team is looking pretty good for next year, too.”
At the same time, neither young woman was in any kind of a hurry to say goodbye to 2014-2015.
“It was exciting to be the first team from Horton to win provincials,” Carey said. “We made a little history.”
