(Submitted photo/Kianna Leicht)

By Ben Tompkins

Home Opener Friday

Northeast Drift excited about inaugural Senior Women’s Hockey season

Oct 16, 2025 | 5:08 PM

A historic day for many female hockey players in the province is coming this weekend.

The Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Hockey League (SSWHL) has 11 teams across the province, nine of which have yet to play their first game in the 2025/26 inaugural season.

One of those teams is the Northeast Drift, a combined Melfort and Humboldt squad set to welcome the Northern Ice (Prince Albert) for their home opener on Friday.

“Once you aged out, there was really nowhere to play, so you were kind of just done. Now, this is just exciting to have the opportunity to play again and know that there’s somewhere for younger girls to play once they’re done minor hockey or university hockey,” said Drift player/manager, Kianna Leicht.

“In the spring, there was a Facebook post asking who would be interested in starting a senior women’s hockey league, and I responded, saying I’d love to start one in my area. There was a lot of interest, so it was just about finding the best locations for each team. Originally, there was going to be a Humboldt and Melfort team, but we ultimately decided to combine and meet in the middle in St. Brieux.”

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Each team will play just 12 regular-season games (one game a weekend), all coming against their own division. There are currently five teams in the North Division and six teams in the South Division.

The Drift have 22 players on their roster, with six affiliate players to fill in when needed.

“This year, we’re more focused on just getting the team started, and maybe down the road, we’ll make it more competitive. This year, we want it to be competitive, but we just want as many girls as we can and give them the opportunity to play,” Leicht added.

“We’ve received a lot of support from all around the area. We’ve had sponsors reach out from all over, and wherever the players are from. They were really excited to support us, because we’re the only women’s hockey league in the area.”

The Drift have players ranging in ages from 18-45 and hope to practice once a week, preferably the day before their games.

The first and only SSWHL game so far was this past Sunday in Saskatoon, which the Bridge City Storm won 3-2 over the Dalmeny Sabres.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8