Lack of ice no problem for hockey players
Off-season? What off-season? June was a busy month, with and without hockey sticks, for two current members and one former member of the Brock University women’s team.
Carley Blomberg and Lisa Buratynski represented Italy and Canada, respectively, in ball hockey championships on the world stage, while Jessica Fickle, who played for the Badgers from 2010-15, was inducted into the Fort Erie Sports Hall of Fame.
“It was an amazing experience to represent my family and heritage at a world event,” said Blomberg, whose grandparents came to Canada from Italy.
“The Italian culture is very important to my family and I.”
The International Street and Ball Hockey Championships were held in the Czech Republic, but Blomberg had little time to be homesick.
“The girls on my team quickly became a second family to me and helped make the experience so great,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect at first being one of the younger players in the tournament, but then the coaches were playing for the power play, penalty kill and shootout, so it was a big confidence booster.”
“Overall, the experience was unreal. I didn’t want to it to end. Buratynski called representing Canada a “real honour” and a longtime dream come true.
“I was invited to attend a tryout camp in December and found out a few weeks later I was offered a spot on the team,” she said.
Buratynski didn’t take the selection for granted.
“I have worked really hard on and off the floor, since December, to get ready for this championship.”
Both players will be back in the Badgers lineup this fall. Fickel, who is currently finishing her master’s degree at Brock, played in 120 career games for the Badgers. She scored 52 goals and collected 63 assists for 115 career points.
At Brock, Fickel went on to win four MVP awards after earning rookie of the year honours. In 2014-15 she was honoured as the school’s female athlete of the year.
A three-time Ontario University Athletics winer, Fickel’s remarkable accomplishments weren’t limited to athletics. She was a threetime Canadian Interuniversity Sports Acadamic All-Canadian.
In her final season, she wore the red and white having the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2015 Winter Universiade held in Granada, Spain, where she led Team Canada to a silver medal.