To watch the ease at which she now plays hockey, it’s hard to believe that 14 year old Espanola native Ali Winkel played virtually no sports at all until the age of eight or so. At that time, she recalls watching the Espanola Screaming Eagles of the NOJHL with her father and expressing, for the first time, an interest in taking to the ice.

“The skating came fairly easily – I took power skating and got used to it quickly”, noted Winkel. “But shooting was way harder…trying to learn a technique to lifting the puck.” Starting within the Espanola Houseleague hockey system, it wasn’t long before Winkel would make the cross-over to boys NOHA hockey, a shift which drew her to the Walden Minor Hockey Association.

“I knew Brent Battistelli through my dad, and I knew that he was a very good coach”, said Winkel about the year she recalls first suiting up with the Walden Red Devils. Specifically, she remembers Battistelli really helping her understand how the game is played and doing it in a very friendly manner. “He’s just a really good coach”, admits Winkel.

As she moved along through the ranks, the contact involved with the NOHA boys became more difficult to take, a fact not helped by Winkel’s smaller stature compared to many of her Bantam aged teammates. Two years ago, Winkel decided to make the move to girls hockey, cracking the roster of the Midget AA Lady Wolves last year as an underaged player.

“I think there is more stickwork in the girls game but all the basics are the same – passing – shooting”, she explains. Still committing time to working on her shot, Winkel sought advice from a fellow Espanola native, getting lessons from Tori McNeil to help her with her slapshot.

This past August, Winkel made the bold move to head away from home and pursue her hockey career with the Toronto Aeros Midget AA team. “I think it will help me develop, getting a chance to play against other top end girls teams in league play.” Unfortunately, the lack of competitive rep girls hockey teams across Northern Ontario means that the bulk of the Sudbury Lady Wolves squads must play within the boys leagues, a situation which has both pros and cons.

“The Aeros are a really good organization. I just want to develop and get better, since I would like to get into a good university program”, noted Winkel. Ironically, one of the first tournaments the Aeros would enter this fall, the Stoney Creek Sabres Midget Showcase, also included the Sudbury Midgets and a number of Winkel’s former teammates.

Despite the change in scenery, Winkel is committed to keeping the same workmanlike approach to her game that has served her so well over the years. “You always need help, you can always get better”, she says. But make no mistake – Ali Winkel is pretty darn good already.
 

Ali Winkel
Toronto Midget AA Aeros

“The Aeros are a really good organization. I just want to develop and get better, since I would like to get into a good university program”