Five players from Sylvan Lake played in the U15AA provincials and won the bronze medal including goalie Brylee Hull, making her the first goalie to win the top goaltender of the year award in consecutive years.
Hull told Sylvan Lake News that it was nice to win the award but shocking to discover she was the first to win it in consecutive years.
“Just after all the hard work and dedication I put into the sport it is very rewarding to win it. Although I was a little bit surprised to find out I was the first to win the award in consecutive years since there are lots of great goalies in this league.”
The award also acts as an encouragement to continue to strive to do her best, Hull said.
“It just helps me strive to just be the best I can, it helps to motivate me to try and stay at the top almost. The big goal every year is to win gold, but first there is provincials and then you have to hope to make it to the gold medal final game which are among my goals for next year.”
The most important thing about being a goalie is being able to stay calm, 15-year-old Hull said.
“There is lots of pressure in the position so you just have to kind of learn to throw the pressure away since your mentality as a goalie is a big thing. There is a lot of hard work and determination that goes into it.”
Practice is still important even outside of hockey season, Hull said.
“Now that hockey season is over I’m doing spring hockey which is like two practices a week. I also do quite a bit of off-ice training and then every few weeks I do goalie specific camps in Red Deer.”
Being a goalie is intense, Hull said.
“My favourite part of being a goaltender is the high pressure situations just like having the game on the line. The pressure and intensity that comes with it is the best.”
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