Paige Clark saw a sign.

On her way to a basketball practice, Clark saw a sign advertising a three-on-three hockey league.

Intrigued, she went to that instead of basketball.

And from there, a passion was born.

That was about seven years ago, when Paige was nine-years-old.

Clark, who had never skated until beginning hockey, spent the first few years playing as a winger. But four years ago, a family friend suggested she give goaltending a shot.

“I tried playing goalie and knew that was what I was meant to be,” she said. “I just loved it.

“I love the challenge of having the responsibility of being the last one back there for my team.”

“I just love the adrenalin: you stop the puck or make the great save, it is just a great feeling.”

Now, the 16-year-old is considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the province.

She will suit up for Team B.C. beginning today (Wednesday) when the Canadian women’s U18 national hockey championships begin in Surrey. The tournament runs through until the weekend at the South Surrey Arena.

“Nothing seems to rattle her, good performance, bad performance, she is very even-keeled, which I think for a goaltender is huge,” said Pat Thibeault, the coach of Team B.C.

He is also Clark’s coach during league play, with the midget AAA Vancouver Fusion.

“I have seen her let a bad goal in and not let it bother her,” Thibeault said.

“And that at a young age is a great quality to psosess.

“It really doesn’t seem to matter to her what is going on prior to a game or during a game. She stays focused on what she has to do and doesn’t get rattled at all.”

He called her a great competitor who is steady in her play.

Clark spent time with the Fusion as an affiliate player last season, attending practice and going with the team as they captured a provincial title.

Her journey to Team B.C. began back in February and culminated in her selection late July.

“Sometimes when we have these kinds of camps, a goaltender may have a good performance on one day and then the next day, not so well,” Thibeault said.

“That is always an issue; you are always loooking for someone who will give you the same performance day in and day out. And that is one of the things she did very well.”

“It is a lot of tryouts and a long process,” Clark admitted, adding that she was able to handle the long tryout by focusing on the end goal.

Thibeault agrees that focus is definitely not a problem with this particular player.

“She is very mature in her demeanor, in her approach and in her focus,” he said. “It is almost like an adult trapped in a kid’s body, in a sense.”

One thing he has noticed is how different Clark is on and off the ice.

“She has a very much more quiet approach off the ice, but when she gets on the ice, there is a fire in her belly,” Thibeault said. “It is kind of neat to see the two differences.

“Our goaltending coach with Team B.C., who did not know her very well, was just taken aback by the difference of when she slides on that mask, that different person she becomes.”

Clark does not disagree that there is a significant change in her behavior when she steps out onto the ice.

“I yell,” she admitted. “A lot of people say I am a lot different on the ice. I put the mask on and I just become a different person.

“I definitely see sports as a way to be a leader and have my more aggressive side come out.”

Clark, a Grade 11 student at D.W. Poppy, is hoping the game continues taking her places.

She would love to earn a scholarship to play while attending school. Clark would also love to one day represent Canada at the highest level as a member of the national team.

“I know that is a huge challenge, but that is something to push myself,” she said.

“Depending on how much work she puts in the next couple of years, the whole world is her oyster,” Thibeault said.