Teams are facing off in a new eastern Newfoundland hockey league aiming to bring competitive play — and a few extra years on the ice — for young women in the province.
The Women’s Junior A Hockey League drafted players earlier in October and is now playing a short exhibition series to determine which of its three teams will take part in the official league opening game next month.
Organizers say it’s an attempt to fill a long-running gap for young women in the province, who often have no competitive play left when they finish high school.
“No one has really had anywhere to go after minor hockey,” said Molly Gill, who serves as captain as one of the league’s first three teams.
“But now there’s that extra level, and it’s not just something else to play. It’s a higher level.”
Gill, like many of her new teammates and competitors, …