Check-in for the Calgary Fire Red MAA pre-season

Crossfield, Alberta

It was the first time for me in Crossfield; a chance to find out what lies in this Alberta community beyond the stand-out gas plant, now run by TAQA, that you can see travelling on the QE II highway. An outstanding bacon butty (breakfast sandwich) and a nice cup of tea from the friendly folks working at the Pete Knight Memorial Arena concession got the cold morning going before the on-ice action, a pre-season exhibition game between Airdrie Lightning and Calgary Fire Red Midget AA in the Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL).

The first period ended with just the single goal, scored by Julia McEwen. She got another one in the second period, as did Hannah Suto. A goal by the Lightning’s Madison Black made it 3-1 to the visiting side after forty minutes.

Lightning check-in

The final twenty minutes opened up as the Lightning repeatedly made their way to the penalty box for body checking and other infractions, creating several one and two-man advantages for the Fire. Nothing malicious, just a hard physical game of hockey played well. Kelly Stanford scored a beauty, a seeing-eye bullet from the left of the posts that fired in above the goalie’s right shoulder. Teah Workman, polished off the scoring to make it a 5-1 win for the newly bubble-masked ladies from Calgary Fire Red.

Next up: The official season gets underway next weekend with some local rivalry between the Calgary Fire Red and White teams, at Rose Kohn Arena, Calgary (Sat. Oct 20, 18:00).

Please visit J. Ashley Nixon Communications for more photos from the game (and a few from the community of Crossfield).