'They just have nowhere to go': Alberta hockey league offers rare opportunity for female athletes

Audrey Buston once thought she'd never play competitive hockey again.

Two years ago, she left the University of Calgary's varsity team.

"I was just so heartbroken that I had ... quit that team and wasn't going to be back there," Buston said.

"After I stopped playing university hockey for the Dinos, I was still wanting to play and I really wasn't ready to give up hockey."

But that's when she had the chance to do what few women her age can in this country: play in a junior women's hockey league.

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"When I heard about this league, it was just a relief, and I was so happy that I came here," said Buston, who plays for the Cochrane Chaos.

The Alberta Female Junior Hockey League is celebrating its 10th year this season, and marked the occasion Saturday by hosting its annual all-star game and skills competition in Strathcona County.

The league is believed to be the only one of its kind west of Manitoba. It sees women under the age of 22 compete in one of nine teams across Alberta.

Most young hockey players have to choose between recreation leagues or university teams when they turn 18.

While the league is competitive, it doesn't come with the hefty time commitment associated with university teams, Buston said. The teams take to the ice a few times a week, meaning there's more time to balance sport with school or work.

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The league is rooted in the camaraderie of a group of young women dedicated to their sport. It's especially poignant given it's one of the few leagues of its kind in Canada, while Alberta alone has several male junior hockey leagues.

"This is just our second family," Buston said. "No matter how like crappy or how down you are, everything at the rink, nothing matters anymore. You know, just the girls, your family, your sisters that you're there with."

The girls are fighting uphill all the time to try and get that recognition.- Craig Sparrow, AFJHL President

AFJHL President Craig Sparrow said the league gets far less attention than its male counter parts.

"They have much bigger budgets than what we're able to," he said. "We don't get the support, necessarily. You know, it's partly us doing our work to get the support. But it just seems that the girls are fighting uphill all the time to try and get that recognition, and the financial support, especially."

Sparrow said the league has grown a lot over the years, but some players still don't know it exists. He hopes interest and sponsorship will grow as more people learn about the league, and that the model can eventually be replicated in other provinces.

Danielle Cox of the Sherwood Park Steele played in the all-star game this weekend.

She also played in the league's 2016 spring tournament, aimed at recruiting players from the midget-level to the league. But instead of continuing with hockey, Cox went to the University of Lethbridge on a rugby scholarship.

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She left the rugby team after breaking her leg. After surgery, she joined the AFJHL in the middle of the season.

"It was nice that I could kind of just jump in when I was ready," she said.

"It's so big that we have the opportunity to do this, while some other girls in other provinces stop when they're done playing midget. Like, they just have nowhere to go — like, you either play university or you don't play."

Buston also highlighted how a lot of young women dream of playing hockey at the university level.

"But it's not the only thing out there," she said. "It's important to remember that instead of quitting because you can't get a scholarship … to just like come play for us."