Trail’s Wildcats pee wee female hockey team is off the ground this year and ready to pounce at the female pee wee provincial tournament happening in Trail this year.

The provincials will be taking place for a week starting March 19 coinciding with spring break.

Five teams will be coming from areas around B.C. including Vancouver Island, the North, Kamloops or Kelowna and two from the Lower Mainland.

“We have a pretty talented group of girls this year. We’re a young team, but many of the first year skaters are catching on fast,” said Carey Fisher, coach of the peewee ‘Cats.

“75 per cent of practicing at this age level is focused on individual skill development.”

The Trail ‘Cats play in the boys’ house division in the Greater Trail Area as there isn’t many options for other all-girls teams in the area, but they hold their own up against the guys.

Around 14 skaters and a goalie come from the Beaver Valley, Trail, Rossland and Castlegar to make up the roster on the peewee team.

The one-week tournament will be round robin play with each team playing the other and the two teams with the best records playing for the title.

Fisher said he would like to see the buzz around girls’ hockey in the area pick up and show young female players there can be a future for them with the hockey puck.

“I want to encourage more girls to come out and play. There’s some hype that comes with female hockey during the Olympics that usually gets more press and gets some girls’ interested,” he said, noting that many boys are encouraged daily to play hockey by seeing the NHL so often.

“I’d like to see more development in female hockey where the guys can step back and girls can get noticed a little more.”