Mae Batherson of New Minas, right, and Kentville’s Brette Pettet were recently named to the roster for the Atlantic Canadian team selected for the 2016 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Regina, Sask.
Mae Batherson of New Minas and Kentville’s Brette Pettet were recently named to the roster for the Atlantic Canadian team heading to the 2016 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Regina, Sask. from Nov. 9-13.
The team, consisting of eight Nova Scotians, was selected based on the Atlantic Challenge Cup hosted in Moncton, N.B.
Head coach Chris Larade expects big things from the players hailing from Kings.
“Mae is arguably the smartest defenceman in the country in her birth year. She plays a very cerebral game and has the ability to make plays on breakouts and regroups from the back-end that most (defenders) don’t even see or think about,” said Larade.
“We expect her to use her unique skill set and smarts to help lead or attack and transition game.”
Hockey is practically a way of life for Batherson.
“My love for hockey comes from being around it growing up. My father played hockey in Germany where I was born and… I would go to many family skates and watched my brother begin hockey,” the 15-year-old recalled.
Batherson started honing her puck handling and skating skills at four years old, and she quickly became a force to be reckoned with on the ice.
“As soon as I played my first game I fell in love,” she said.
The King’s-Edgehill School student is now in her fourth season of playing senior varsity girls’ hockey in the North American Prep Hockey Association League.
As a Grade 7 facing off against graduating players, she learned to compete with opponents that tower high above her helmet by playing smart. She feels this experience will prove to be invaluable as she seeks more opportunities to skate in elite tournaments.
“Playing at the fast pace has helped me make quick decisions on the ice and develop as a player,” she said.
“I would say my strengths on the ice are my passing and skating and my ability to move the puck quick and out of our end.”
Pettet, a forward, is a standout player known for consistency. The Kentville resident has turned heads as a member of the girls’ prep team at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Minnesota. In the spring, she was one of 50 young women invited to a camp for Team Canada’s U-18 prospects.
“Brette is quite simply a product of her own great practice habits. She plays the game the right way all the time, has a great release and sees the ice well,” said Larade, a resident of Halifax.
“She will likely be leaned on heavily in terms of her leadership qualities and her overall impact and minutes played.”
