A lot of hard work and dedication has paid off for a local student and athlete.
Seventeen-year-old native of Quesnel, Ava Keis, has signed a four year commitment to the Nipissing Lakers Women’s Hockey Team in North Bay, Ontario.
Nipissing University belongs to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
The 5’ 9”, 145-pound power forward sits in first place in the BC Female Major Midget Hockey League, registering 20 goals and 24 assists in 30 games. This is a BC Hockey Female Major Midget record.
Her team, the Northern Cougars, has clinched first place in the B.C. Hockey Female Major Midget League in the regular season.
The Cougars have broken two league records this season – number of wins (25 wins, three losses and two ties) in a season by a team and goals for any team (125) in a season.
A left- winger, Keis is playing in her sixth year in Prince George.
Her last three years have been with the Northern Cougars Major Midget team, the last two as Captain.
Keis has also maintained Principal’s Roll status as a student throughout her hockey career.
Many people have made this opportunity possible for Keis, and she would like to acknowledge the coaching staff of the Northern Female Major Midget Cougars (Mario Desjardins, Head Coach; Stew Malgunas, Assistant Coach and Scott Forrest, Manager), Rich Abney (CKPG News), her teammates, her billet families, her family, Brian Cullinane and the Correlieu Senior Secondary staff and the Prince George Senior Secondary staff.
But, most of all, Ava would like to thank a local woman and female hockey proponent, Hazel Massier, who, after coaching Ava in Quesnel as a child, recommended Ava to a coach in Prince George.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Keis plans to obtain a Bachelor of Criminology degree while attending Nipissing University.