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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Laurie Ozmun could hardly wait until the ice was ready in the arena in Fort Simpson.

The Moosehide Mammas' Kelley Andrews-Klein, left, tries to keep the puck away from the Hay River Hazard's Myriam Lachance during a round robin game in the Chicks with Sticks Tournament in 2010. The Mammas will be reviving the tournament in Fort Simpson this year. - NNSL file photo

Ozmun is the new president of the Moosehide Mammas, the women's hockey team in the village.

She and the other veteran members of the team have big plans for this season.

"We're really excited to get on the ice again and to bring out some new players," Ozmun said.

This will be a rebuilding and recruiting year for the Mammas. Last year, the team didn't travel to any tournaments and didn't hold its annual tournament, Chicks with Sticks.

"We really lost momentum," she said.

This year the team aims to play in a minimum of three tournaments including Fort Smith in January, Hay River in March and its own in February.

The team needs to get out and play so it can re-build relationships with the other women's teams in the territory, Ozmun said.

The Mammas also hope to add to their ranks. Thirty or more team members would be ideal, said Ozmun. Anyone who is interested in playing, regardless of their skill level, is welcome to register with the team.

Ozmun uses her own story as an example of how many of the Mammas start.

"I didn't know how to skate when I started," she said. "I was a brand new player, I had to buy all new gear."

Ozmun joined the team in the 2007-08 season, the year she moved to the village. It sounded like fun and they needed a goalie, she said.

That season, the Mammas won the women's division at the First Air Tournament in Yellowknife. They still claim the title of the reigning champions because there hasn't been a women's division at that tournament since then.

Kristen Morrison also joined the team with limited experience. Morrison, who plays forward, hadn't played hockey in eight years – since she was in high school – but she decided to join the team when she moved to the village.

"From day one it was so much fun," she said.

The main reason Morrison plays is because it's so much fun.

"The amount of laughing," she said, "you just laugh your head off."

Morrison encourages anyone with an interest to come out and try a few practices.

"If you don't like it at least you can say you tried it," she said.

One of the aspects Morrison likes is there's always a skating clinic for the Mammas at the beginning of the season. It's comforting for new players to know they will have some skating training, she said. This year's clinic will be from Dec. 7 to 9.

The Mammas have begun practising every Monday and Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

For insurance purposes every player must pay their registration before stepping on the ice.

Owen Rowe is back for another season as the team's head coach.

Rowe is great because he provides consistency and motivation for the team, said Ozmun. He also takes input from the players and modifies practices to use drills that the players think help them the most, she said.

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