Tomorrow one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports will
fill the Bud Gardens in the sold-out Rivalry series between the Canadian and US
National Women's Hockey Teams.
On the eve of the biggest female hockey event ever
held in London, the London Devilettes Girls Hockey Association is celebrating
one of its proudest moments as an organization, as two former Devilettes,
Katelyn
Gosling and
Brittany Howard return as players for Team Canada.
With over 1,000 seats in the sold-out venue purchased by players and families within the Devilettes organization, Devilettes will cheer loudest at the return of two of their program graduates, as Katelyn Gosling and Brittany Howard take on an equally matched US team.
It was just a few months ago that Katelyn Gosling was the first London Devilette in recent history to make the main Team Canada roster. To the 25 year-old Gosling, thinking about the opportunity to play in front of her hometown and her home organization is surreal. “It is always an honor wearing the Canadian jersey and representing our country, but truly it’s really special to be playing in the place I learned to play hockey.”
The Same thing goes for former London Devilette, and St. Thomas native Brittany Howard. For Brittany, however, this is an extra special day as it will be her first time on the roster for Team Canada. “This will be my first opportunity wearing a maple leaf on my chest and being back in my old stomping grounds. Playing in London is a dream come true”. After the London Devilettes program, Brittany played 5 years at Robert Morris University twice being named the CHA player of the year. Currently Brittany plays in the CWHL with the Toronto Fury, with some of the best talent in the world. To Brittany, “being able to skate with Olympian’s Renata Fast, Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner make (her) a better player every day”.
Gosling also plays in the CWHL with the Calgary Inferno while balancing two jobs and fitting in conditioning workouts. Time management is key to the former Devilette and Western Mustang stand out. Although managing a rigorous schedule, Katelyn encourages current players to make the best of sport. “My advice is to have fun, enjoy playing the game, and be a good teammate.” For both ladies some of their best friends are those that played alongside them with the Devilettes and the memories they hold of playing in London are cherished every-day.
To London Devilettes Executive and spokesperson Steve Milne this is a special event. “Our organization is very proud of the efforts, and the accomplishments that Katelyn and Brittany have achieved. To continue to see the barriers of women’s international and professional hockey be removed, it provides inspiration to our female athletes. Even better, to have our current players see two graduates that came from our own organization and from the same arenas we currently play at, playing for team Canada in a sold-out venue, it makes their dreams become a reality. We can’t thank Brit and Goose enough for being ambassadors of our brand and providing inspiration to our players”.
We are looking for former players that should be in the spotlight. Contact us by clicking
here to provide details.