As published in the Dundalk Democrat
One local female Ice Hockey player says there will be ‘Foxy Rivalry’ between the three new All Ladies Ice Hockey teams that will be taking part in the IIHL Recreational Division.
Elaine McCann (Bay Estate, Dundalk) who, after spending three years with the Dundalk Bulls Ladies, has decided that the time was right to transfer to a different team for a new challenge. Elaine has recently signed with the Belfast Ice Vixens, an all ladies ice hockey team that trains in Belfast.
Elaine has been a stalwart defence player on the blue line for the Bulls Ladies and will be sorely missed but will be a welcome addition to an already star studded Belfast Ice Vixen’s defence. Talking to the Dundalk Democrat on her departure from the local ladies team, she explained why she made the move to Belfast, when she had a perfectly good team and a state of the art Ice Dome ten minutes away from her residency.
She said ‘I have helped develop the Bulls Ladies over the past three years with Vytautas Lukosevicious, Sonya McEneaney and with many other girls and it is were I learned to play ice hockey and its were I fell in love with the sport, but I was organising different things and I just wanted to play more hockey and I would like to thank Coach Vytas for all his help and guidance over the past three years and its going to be a challenge for me and I look forward to it’.
The former assistant captain of the Bulls Ladies and Irish Ladies National star reckons that it won’t be too long until Ireland has its first All – Ladies Ice Hockey League. She said ‘With the Vixens, Lady Bulls and the Cubs all coming on board to take part in the League this season, I defiantly think that we’re getting closer to an all Ladies ice hockey tournament and the sooner we can do that, the better it is for Irish Hockey and Women’s hockey’.
Elaine, who competed in Latvia twice with the Bulls Ladies, also predicts that it will be a Ladies team that will clinch the league title this year and there will be no love lost between the side. She said ‘I think that it will probably be a Ladies team that will be League winners this season and the three ladies teams will fight to become Women’s champions’.
It won’t take Elaine long to adapt to her new team that was founded last year, as most of the Vixens defence is made up of former Bulls Ladies players and she will also be joining her Team Ireland Select team mates Caris McKnight, Jade McCrainor, Kate Morrison and Kit Thornton. ‘It won’t take me long to gel into the team, as I know many of the players, if not all of them personally and Sean Gibson who is head coach of team and is former Assistant coach of the Bulls Ladies’.
Elaine, who spent her last training session with the Bulls Ladies last Sunday evening said ‘I will miss the Bulls Ladies sorely and I can’t wait for the first Vixens and Bulls Ladies game.’