The Lloydminster U18 AAA PWM Steelers shared an experience of a lifetime as they took the ice at Edmonton’s Roger’s Place.
The Steelers (14-7) beat the Alberta Female Hockey League’s top-seeded Edmonton Jr. Oilers White (21-0-0-1) on Jan. 26. What made it so special for the Steelers? Aside from besting an undefeated team, the game was played on the same ice as the pros at Roger’s Place, a first-time experience for the entire roster.
Edmonton’s Parker Small struck first with a goal at 15:48 in the first period. Lloydminster’s Taryn Leighton, however, tied it up on the powerplay at 19:26 in the second. A scoreless third sent the game into overtime where Steelers’ Skylar Heinrichs got the game winner with assists from Leighton and goaltender Harlee Houle.
“It was so surreal. An unbelievable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Heinrichs of the experience, noting it was “Pretty crazy to get the win.”
“It was also crazy to be sitting on the same bench as the NHL players. It was awesome.”
The team’s two goaltenders, Harlee Houle and Grace Deveau, played roughly 30 minutes each and described the experience as one they won’t forget.
“It was really cool. Standing on the bench and looking out at the stands was sick,” said Deveau, who played the first half of the game. “It’s a huge rink but the ice didn’t look that big. The stands were huge and all the people there was really sick.”
“The stands go all the way up, the ceiling is huge, the jumbotron is ginormous, it was really cool, and the ice was really nice,” she said.
Houle played the game’s second-half and had the nerve-wracking task of defending the net during overtime.
“It was awesome, so cool, I was speechless. It was an experience of a lifetime,” said Houle, noting overtime was stressful.
“I had a feeling we were going to win it.”
When asked how it felt to best the league’s only undefeated team, both goaltenders echoed “Amazing. Awesome, it was such a good feeling. It felt like we won a national championship after that one.”
Head coach, Dan Auchenberg, said the overall experience was fantastic.
“It was exciting to see their eyes light up on the bench and on the ice when Skylar scored the game winner in overtime. It was pretty exciting for us as coaches, too.”
Auchenberg explained the Steelers were approached with the possibility of playing at Roger’s Place at the beginning of the year.
“It was especially fitting as we’re hosting the Esso Cup this year,” said Auchenberg, noting the Esso Cup final could feature the Steelers and Oilers White.
“The perception could be these are the two teams.”
A major takeaway for Auchenberg was the confidence the win gave the team going forward.
“The team came out of the gate really hard at the start of the year, very positive,” said Auchenberg. “We’ve had our ups and downs, but you find a way to rebound, which is really good.”
“When push comes to shove, they show up, and they showed up on Sunday. This was a hurdle they were nervous about, but they were also excited. They stuck with it, believed, and kept pushing.”
The PWM Steelers are back at the Servus Sports Centre Rusway Arena on Feb. 15 to host Red Deer.
The Esso Cup takes over the Centennial Civic Centre from April 20-26 when the Steelers welcome five regional champions to compete for Canada’s Women’s U18 National Club Championship.





