Stroud sisters Maddy and Emily Niskanen will be headed to Slovakia this summer, representing the nation at The World Ball Hockey Championships.
Maddy, is in Grade 12 at St. Peter's High School, while 22-year-old Emily is currently away studying science at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
The World Ball Hockey Championships will be taking place in Slovakia at the end of June, and the pair couldn't be more excited to go and play while representing their country.
Although on different teams, (Emily will be playing on the U22 team and Maddy U20), they look forward to cheering each other on and making the experience a memorable family trip with their parents Kristine and Phil.
"I am just really excited it's not something I ever thought I'd do," said Emily in a phone with InnisfilToday
Growing up in Innisfil, the girls loved to play ice hockey. Older sister Emily had started off as a figure skater, and transitioned to ice hockey when she was six, after seeing her little three-year-old sister take an interest in the sport.
The girls started off playing hockey in the boy's league in Lefroy, before switching over to the girl's league with the Barrie Sharks when at ages seven and nine.
While their first love was hockey on skates, the sisters found a new passion for ball hockey in 2014 after some teammates encouraged them to try out the sport with the South Simcoe league in Alliston. Not surprisingly, the sisters loved it and have been playing ever since.
The sisters have competed at the provincial level before. Emily attended two national championships in 2018 and 2019. Maddy was supposed to attend the national championships last year, but due to the pandemic, the event was cancelled.
The women are honoured to be representing Team Canada in the upcoming World Championships with the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada.
"I am pretty excited, it's going to be an experience that's for sure," said Maddy about the opportunity.
Tryouts for the national teams were held in December by invitation in Oshawa, with women from all over the country vying for a spot on one of the team rosters. Emily even flew back home for the weekend for the tryouts. There are five women's teams competing in total, U14, U16, U18, U20, and U22.
"It was nerve-wracking, I didn't know any of the girls there," but "It was a really cool experience," said Emily.
In the end, only 22 women per team made the cut.
Both girls will be able to practice with their respective teams in the spring, giving them a few months to work together and perfect their game before the big championships.
"Luckily the in team practices aren't going to start until May when I am back (from school)," said Emily.
While the family is thrilled to play ball hockey for the country in Slovakia, they realize the cost to attend will be quite high, at around $3,500 each. The girls are now trying to find local sponsors to help them raise funds for the trip.
The Niskanen family have lived in Innisfil since 2001, first having lived in Alcona, then moving to Stroud 12 years ago.
"I loved it, I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else," said Emily about her childhood in Innisfil, remembering playing hockey on the streets with the neighbourhood kids.
When asked how she was able to achieve national recognition in the sport, Emily said it take a lot of heart.
"You just need to want to work, and I think that's the best advice I've ever given."
The World Ball Hockey Organization was founded in 1985 as an Association of Hockey Club and was renamed the World Ball Hockey Federation in 2012. They were the first to organize the European Championships and the World Championships in ball hockey.
