Solis taking their game to Finland
The Medicine Hat Solis are taking their game across the Atlantic.
The under-19 ringette team will make their way to Europe on July 21 for the Finland Lions Cup international tournament in Helsinki, and head coach David Yip says every one of his players has truly earned their place on the roster.
“These girls have all worked really hard to get to this point. We should be looking at having a very competitive team over there,” said Yip, adding the team features girls between the ages of 16 and 18. “It’s a team of mostly Medicine Hat girls, but we do have girls from Lethbridge, Foremost and Brooks going so it should be good … Their dedication is huge.”
The Solis will be the lone Canadian squad in their division, while the tournament features teams from across Europe and North America. Yip added he’s taken teams to Finland in the past, and it may surprise some to hear that they take the game pretty seriously in the Scandinavian country.
“In Finland it’s very big. They play year-round which is kind of different from us, we only play about eight months of the year,” said Yip. “Ringette was actually developed in Canada so it’s going to be interesting to see how some of the European teams play over there.”
The Solis start their campaign with an exhibition contest in Sweden before making the trip next door to Helsinki, Finland for one more exhibition game in preparation of the tournament.
The ring falls on the Finland Lions Cup on July 28. Yip says he anticipates his squad will compete in at least three games in the tournament, which concludes with championship action on July 30.