The U13 Interlake Lightning girls got a rare, up-close look at the professional game this past weekend — sharing the ice with players from the Ottawa Charge at a special clinic at Camp Manitou.
The session offered a unique opportunity for young players in the Interlake to learn directly from professionals in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, part of the league’s growing efforts to connect with young athletes and inspire the next generation of the women’s game.
Held at Camp Manitou — a year-round training and recreation facility operated by the True North Youth Foundation just outside Winnipeg — the clinic featured high-tempo drills and one-on-one instruction, giving players a firsthand look at the speed and skill of the professional level.
For head coach Meghan Humeniuk, the opportunity came together in an unexpected but meaningful way.
“This opportunity came together somewhat unexpectedly through a connection between one of our players’ families and the True North Youth Foundation,” she said. “We’re incredibly grateful that it did — it turned into a truly special experience for our team.”
Humeniuk said moments like this go far beyond a single practice.
“I truly believe our program in the Interlake continues to grow and strengthen each year. At the same time, women’s sports — especially hockey — are gaining incredible momentum across Canada and around the world,” she said. “Opportunities like this don’t just impact our program, they contribute to the growth of girls’ hockey everywhere.”
The Interlake-based team, made up of players from communities across the region, recently wrapped up its winter season, making the clinic a memorable way to close out the year.
For the players, the excitement was immediate.
“I was really excited to experience this opportunity,” said Hailey Koomen. “I was excited to do this with my hockey team and get to meet the Ottawa Charge girls.”
Koomen also had a memorable moment during the session.
“My favourite player is Brooke McQuigge because she is really good and she taught me hockey stuff when she was partnered up with me in the battling drills,” she said.
Team captain Kylie Brunel said the clinic was a fitting way to wrap up the season.
“When I found out we would be training with a PWHL team, I thought it would be a cool, fun experience and a great way to end the season with my team,” she said.
She also reflected on the broader impact of the moment.
“It’s pretty neat that there is a professional hockey league for women.”
For Harper Farthing, the chance to learn directly from elite players stood out most.
“To be able to train with PWHL players and to learn from them,” she said. “Anything, to be honest, to get better.”
Farthing, who plays centre and wing, said she’s focusing on improving her playmaking.
“To be quick and not rush with the puck … opening up and starting plays,” she said.
She added that seeing players at the professional level has shifted her mindset.
“It means that I can be at that level if I work hard enough … it makes me think to always work at 150 per cent every time.”
Lucy Roy also drew inspiration from the players she met and those she already looks up to.
“My favourite player is Emma Maltais because she reminds me of me — she’s small and she’s a playmaker,” Roy said, also pointing to Ottawa Charge defender Jocelyn Larocque as a role model. “She is a great player and from Manitoba.”
Roy said the experience was unlike anything she’s been part of before.
“I have never been part of something like this before, but I thought it was so much fun and pretty cool to get to skate with some professional female hockey role models,” she said.
Humeniuk said that kind of exposure is invaluable for young athletes.
“It’s not every day that young female athletes have the chance to connect with and learn from professional women in the sport,” she said. “Being able to see and interact with professional players gives them a tangible example of what’s possible. It makes the dream of playing at the next level feel real and achievable.”
She added that the normalization of women’s professional hockey may be the most powerful takeaway of all.
“As someone who has spent a lifetime in the game, it was incredibly powerful to watch young girls engage with professional female players as if it were completely normal,” she said. “That, in itself, speaks volumes about how far the game has come.”
For a group of young players still early in their hockey journeys, the experience didn’t just end their season — it helped shape what they now believe is possible.
