MANITOBA WOMEN ’ S JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
now ,’ so we grabbed her in the third round and she ’ s been great .” Mizeracki , 128 , has played seven of the team ’ s 16 games and went through a streak in November , when she recorded three straight shutouts . She ’ s 6-0-1 on the season with a 0.86 goals against average and a . 969 save percentage .
Considering that Caryk , 19 , the star in last year ’ s league championship run , still has one more season in junior after this one , goaltending is the one thing that Benediktson doesn ’ t have to worry about . “ They are both great kinds to have on the team and both great teammates ,” said Benediktson . “ And Caryk is an engineering student so she ’ s also way smarter than I am .” This is Caryk ’ s third season with Polar Ice and she is indeed a thirdyear Civil Engineering student at the University of Manitoba . For her , the MWJHL is perfect . “ Yeah , I like this league a lot ,” she said . “ We have a great group of girls and it gives me a perfect amount of ice time . Caryk started playing out of Southdale – the Dakota Lazers -- and then moved a few times , working her up from an A2 player to an A2 threw on the equipment , I asked the coach if I could just stay in goal . My parents chuckled and shook their heads , but they ’ ve been really supportive .” A Glenlawn Collegiate graduate , she played all her minor hockey in St . Vital and while having your daughter become a goaltender isn ’ t always ideal , Caryk ’ s parents were all over her decision . “ It ’ s true that some parents wonder about it , but my talent as a forward wasn ’ t so good so they had no problem with me taking up goaltending ,” she said . “ In fact , they were quite supportive .” Caryk is one of those rare successful female players who never played any boys hockey . She started a little later , at age nine , and she has played every season with other girls . These days , her toughest assignment is balancing her love for hockey with the effort that ’ s required to be a successful engineering student . “ It ’ s a challenge , trying to find that balance between school and hockey but it ’ s a good time ,” she said . “ That ’ s why I like this league . It gives me the opportunity to play competitive hockey and still go to school .”
I guess my immediate goals are that I want to graduate and get my civil engineering degree and then I want to give back to the game , I ’ m sure I ’ ll do a little bit of coaching . I want to play as long as I can and stay in touch with the game goalie up to A1 and Double A . Her road to the big pads was interesting but actually pretty simple . “ I decided to play goal because the goalie on our team at the time got hurt so my coach dropped a bunch of equipment in the change room right before practice one day and said , ‘ Somebody had better have that on when practice starts ,’ and so I put it on ,” she said with a laugh . “ I was in Grade 7 ( 12-years-old ) and he just said to all the skaters , ‘ Somebody put that on ,’ and I was the one who volunteered and it turned out that I liked the position a lot more . In fact , when I
112 GAME ON 2016 - 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION
She really does love the game and at some point , wants to be able to give back to a sport that gave her so much . “ I guess my immediate goals are that I want to graduate and get my civil engineering degree and then I want to give back to the game ,” she said . “ I ’ m sure I ’ ll do a little bit of coaching . I want to play as long as I can and stay in touch with the game . At the end of next season , I ’ ll probably go on to play in either a typical beer league or maybe play senior women ’ s . regardless , I ’ m not thinking at all about playing my last game anytime soon .” Especially not now , while she ’ s playing on a team that could win another MWJHL crown . “ I ’ ve won a few championships , last year ’ s championship and two others with the Vics . Winning championships never gets old . “ I just enjoy playing here . We have a really good team and we have a chance to win back-to-back league championships . That would be pretty nice and that ’ s definitely the plan . For now , I ’ m really enjoying myself and hockey ’ s fun .” n