Elizabeth Goodman is headed back to the U18 B.C. Hockey Tournament Camp for a second time and is looking to make a statement.
Goodman, 16 from Parksville, attended the camp last year and was looking to make Team BC when her tournament was cut short by a knee injury three days into the five day camp.
“It was tough, for sure,” Goodman said. “I went in to it not really knowing what to expect and was having a lot of fun. Then the injury happened and I wasn’t able to finish off the camp. It was hard but I’m excited to get back there again this year and see if I can make the cut.”
Goodman is one of 80 young women selected from across B.C. to take part in the five day mini tournament, where they will be evaluated with the chance to be one of 40 to earn a shot at Team B.C. From there, they could make the Team B.C. roster and play for the Canada Cup and the hopes of making the U18 Girls National Hockey team.
“I think that I sort of have an idea of what it takes to make the cut because I was there last year too,” Goodman said. “I feel like if I can stay healthy then I’ll have a really good shot at making the cut down to forty and then who knows from there.”
Goodman, who attends Ballenas Secondary, played major midget last season for the Vancouver Island Hurricanes of Campbell River. It was the team’s first year in the league, which was a bit of a challenge at times.
“It was the first time that Vancouver Island has had a major midget girls team, so it was more like a trial run you could say,” Goodman said. “We didn’t have the greatest season as a team but we had a lot of fun and we’re really excited to have a team at that level.”
Goodman describes herself as a physical type of player and likes to set up teammates more than scoring goals. A fan of both Ryan Nugent–Hopkins and the Edmonton Oilers, Goodman has seen the ups and downs from the pros to go along with what she’s been through as well.
“The knee injury was really hard for me, especially happening in the middle of the camp last year,” Goodman said. “But I learned a lot from it and spent a lot of time making sure I got back to playing and now I’m ready to really give it my best to make this team.”
The camp is underway in Salmon Arm, running for five days. Then it’s a nervous two week wait for Goodman to find out if she made the cut.