The 14th Annual Female Hockey Classic will once again take over Okotoks.

Tournament Coordinator Jennifer Dustow, says the size of the tournament has been increasing steadily over the years, and this year it's huge.

"This tournament really is a showcase of female hockey from across the province. This year we're hosting teams from U9-U18 in 14 separate divisions. This year we have fifty teams participating."

Dustow says this tournament is one of the second largest female showcases of its kind in the province.

"It really is exciting, and it's the second-largest female showcase in our Province, and even in our country I believe." Dustow says "It's really cool for a small town like Okotoks to have a huge hockey girls program as we do is super exciting. We're the third-largest program in Alberta, only next to Calgary and Edmonton and I think that speaks volumes about our community."

The Rocky Mountain Raiders program will be sending their U-15 Elite AA girls team, and their U-13 Raiders, while every division will have at least one team representing Okotoks.

Dustow says the invite is open, and she hopes to see residents take part.

"We'd love to have the community come to see the evolution of the female game, I think a lot of people would be surprised how good female hockey is."

She says the males tend to have more body play and puck pressure style games, while female hockey is known for strategy and speed, and talented skating.

"It's really important for the community to get behind our female hockey program as it is something that is starting to develop across the world, and it's important to show them that they are equal in opportunity to their counterparts." Says Dustow "That's what we think is going to continue to happen here, we're going to see females playing professionally, and being paid to do that."

She says after 17 years of involvement in female hockey, she can say Okotoks has been super supportive of hockey in general, male and female.

The tournament goes Thursday, November 11 -14, and will showcase games on every available rink in Okotoks from the Pason to the Rec Centre.

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