Waterloo goaltender enjoying experience at Universiade camp in Calgary
CALGARY, Alta. -- Waterloo Warriors women’s hockey goaltender Stephanie Sluys is making the most of her opportunity at the 2016 National Women’s Development Tournament in Calgary.
By: Carlos Verde
CALGARY, Alta. -- Waterloo Warriors women's hockey goaltender Stephanie Sluys is making the most of her opportunity at the 2016 National Women's Development Tournament in Calgary.
The third-year Warriors netminder looked sharp in a 28-save losing effort against Canada Red on Tuesday, and says the experience in Calgary has been superb.
"We weren't sure what to expect coming in, but it's been nice to be competing and bonding as a team," said Sluys, who posted stellar numbers (1.56, .946) as a UW sophomore last year. "It's been a great experience for our team."
The 22-player Universiade camp squad is hardly an unfamiliar one for the 5'11 'tendy; with an all-OUA coaching staff and nine OUA players on the roster, Sluys is skating with plenty of familiar faces.
"It's been quite the experience," laughed Sluys following Tuesday's game. "We're joking around that in a week we'll all be rivals, then when we get together in January (for Almaty 2017) we'll all be buddy-buddy again."
For Sluys and Waterloo teammate Rachel Marriott, who is also skating with Team CIS in Calgary, the exposure to a national-level setup is something they'll be bringing back to the Warriors program.
"We can really take everything, on- and off-ice, out of this camp," said Sluys. "The fast-paced, intense practices, the conditioning aspect with warm-ups (and) cool-downs, and the daily work ethic."
While Team CIS is winless after a pair of close games, head coach Rachel Flanagan's team has taken positive strides entering the second half of camp.
"The first two games were building games for us, our first games as a team — we just met on Friday, to be honest — so we can only go up from here," said Sluys, who is expected to make her next start on Saturday against Sweden.
