Six Okotoks Youth are Vegas Bound

A total of six young athletes are Las Vegas-bound to represent their provinces.

The Queens of Vegas tournament, part of the larger Rose Series, kicks off July 12 with the 2008 Division & 2011 Division playing until July 15. 

Three of the girls will be playing for the Alberta Warriors, 10-year-old Morgan Sloane and 11-year-olds Maci Dueck and Westyn Webb. 

The selection process pulled the top girls from around the province in a set of fierce tryouts resulting in the best from all around Alberta. With Sloane, Dueck and Webb making it through the cuts and onto the final '11 Alberta Warriors team.

All three girls played minor hockey in Okotoks this year with Dueck and Webb in the mixed division and Sloane in Girls Atom A. 

Morgan's mother Karen is proud to see her daughter make it through all the cuts and is excited for the girls to be playing at this level in the entertainment capital of the world.

"We're going to be loving it, like what a great experience for these girls to go down to Las Vegas. We're staying at New York, New York. That's the tournament hotel and it's in a great location. Very family-friendly."

It's not her first time travelling for hockey either as 10-year-old Sloane just returned from a tournament in Toronto playing with SDR.

Their first game is set for July 12 with the '11 Alberta Warriors facing off against the '11 Pro Hockey Toronto. Find game results here.

Three other girls have also been picked but will represent the Manitoba All-stars at the tournament. Avaya McCann, Kamryn Reiber and Brynn Evans. All 14 years old.

Team Alberta for the 2008’s only takes girls from St. Albert. So when the opportunity to play for Manitoba called they took it says Orinda McCann, Avaya's mother.

"Last year just with COVID and everything, Manitoba was short on some players and a goalie. A goalie that my daughter plays with quite a bit was asked and they were asked. ‘Well, do you know any local Alberta girls?’ So my daughter and another girl from Okotoks went and joined the team and they actually did really well.  

"Ended up going to the final losing to Toronto 2 - 1. We just had such a good team they asked if these girls would come back."

As an Okotoks resident originally from Saskatchewan McCann felt a little strange cheering for another team that wasn't her home provinces.

"Saskatchewan and Manitoba have a bit of a rivalry. Never did I think my daughter would play for Manitoba, but no. There's actually quite a few girls from Alberta on this team. They took a lot of top players from southern Alberta and Manitoba and created this pretty amazing team."

Kamryn Reiber, Avaya McCann and Brynn Evans

Playing in Las Vegas will leave them with some 40-degree heat to escape and they will have a little downtime to take in the sights of the city says Sloane.

"I think on Wednesday, it's kind of our night to go see a Cirque or some of the girls are going to go see America's Got Talent and a few things like that, so I think Wednesday night will be our time to kind of do our thing."