This spring, she will be one of just two young Canadian players going to Europe with the East Coast Selects.
The Wolfville-area athlete takes time to ponder before she replies to questions about her sport.
“I like being able to skate on ice. I really like competition and shooting,” she says.
Avi plays centre with the Valley Wild Peewee AA female hockey, coached by Luke McCarthy. She is one of four assistant captains.
“I have made many of my best memories playing hockey with this team, as well as other great spring teams from Nova Scotia,” she says.
Over the Christmas holidays, Avi and her dad, Mark, drove to Exeter, New Hampshire to try out for the East Coast Selects. This girls’ team, made up of players from all over Eastern North America, will travel to Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy in April.
“I was successful at the tryout and am one of only two Canadians selected. I am excited for the opportunity to play at this international tournament with elite female hockey players from around the world,” she says.
Avi well remembers the late night on Jan. 2 as she waited for the call from New Hampshire that she’d made the team. She didn’t have to be told – she could tell from her mother’s joy that she’d made the cut.
This spring, she will be one of just two young Canadian players going to Europe with the East Coast Selects.
The Wolfville-area athlete takes time to ponder before she replies to questions about her sport.
“I like being able to skate on ice. I really like competition and shooting,” she says.
Avi plays centre with the Valley Wild Peewee AA female hockey, coached by Luke McCarthy. She is one of four assistant captains.
“I have made many of my best memories playing hockey with this team, as well as other great spring teams from Nova Scotia,” she says.
Over the Christmas holidays, Avi and her dad, Mark, drove to Exeter, New Hampshire to try out for the East Coast Selects. This girls’ team, made up of players from all over Eastern North America, will travel to Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy in April.
“I was successful at the tryout and am one of only two Canadians selected. I am excited for the opportunity to play at this international tournament with elite female hockey players from around the world,” she says.
Avi well remembers the late night on Jan. 2 as she waited for the call from New Hampshire that she’d made the team. She didn’t have to be told – she could tell from her mother’s joy that she’d made the cut.
Passion for playing
Avi grew to love hockey as a kid while attending the Acadia Axemen games in Wolfville.
“I was mesmerized watching them and I fell in love. I told myself, ‘I wanna do that’.”
Avi’s parents, Mark and Trina, who weren’t hockey fans to begin with, initially worried about her getting hurt. She has suffered a minor concussion already.
“They’ve grown into it,” she says, chuckling. “They’re over being over protective.”
Where her passion from the game came from is a mystery, she adds, since it wasn’t inherited from her parents.
“I don’t know where I got it,” she said with a smile.
Learning basic skating and puck handling on a mostly boys hockey team, she was happy to move into the female realm.
Girls, she notes, pass the puck and are nice and welcoming. Avi appreciates the social experience of team play, and the chance to meet other young athletes from across the region. Members of the Valley Wild come from communities spread from West Hants to Bridgetown.
Currently, the Valley Wild play out of Kentville, but as an atom, Avi played in Canning for a couple of years.
Dedication to the game
Avi’s hockey schedule requires lots of dedication, and there are plenty of practices she needs to fit into her schedule. The team works on skills Mondays and Wednesdays in the early morning. Avi also takes part in higher-level skill training session at 6:45 a.m. on Thursdays and does dry land strength conditioning twice a week. Games are held on the weekends.
She likes her position because it always her to play anywhere on the ice and support her teammates. Avi has scored 54 goals this season and assisted 23 times.
An all-round athlete, Avi also enjoys skiing, golf, cross country running and soccer.
Coach Luke McCarthy says Avi is probably the most gifted offensive player he’s ever coached. She’s played for him for fours year, along with his daughter Abby, Caelyn Parker and Jordyn MacKenzie.
“She knows where she wants to go,” McCarthy says. “And she goes out and works as hard as she does. I’d say she’s pretty exceptional.”
According to McCarthy, Avi’s success is due to her talent and drive to be the best she can be.
“I love to work hard at something, improve and get stronger.”
Last winter, McCarthy took the team to a tournament in Boston where the players were two years younger than their fellow hockey players, and he heard from prep school that wanted to recruit strong female athletes.
“There’s definitely been some interest from outside the area,” he said.
McCarthy had to tell the U.S. school reps just how young his team was. He’s been coaching female players for eight or nine years and is happy to report there is no drama.
“They support each other, and the parents, too. It’s a fun environment, but it’s intense.”
According to Avi, McCarthy has made a big difference not just in her playing, but also in her life.
“He pushes us to get better every time. He’s super nice, but he does yell a lot. It’s a big arena.”
Avi sees Kentville native Brett Pettett as a good role model and was excited she had the chance to do drills with her before Pettett went to Czechoslovakia recently with Team Canada.
Support Avi’s trip to Europe
Avi would appreciate any donations toward the upcoming trip that’s made her so excited. She has a Go Fund Me page set up to accept donations.
“Hockey is my favourite thing to do and this trip is the most exciting hockey opportunity I have ever had,” she said.
The East Coast Selects-Q is one of four North American teams put together by the Legacy Global Sports Group out of the USA. This group recently had 21 of its alumni on the Canada and U.S. U-18 teams at the world championships.
The tournament is in Chamonix, France from April 17-21, but there will be trips to Italy and Switzerland as well. Avi will be playing a couple of friendly non-competitive games as well where they create teams from all the girls at the tournament. Others hail from Moscow, Finland and Germany as well as Canada and the USA.
