      Sierra Meroniuk of Sturgis has focused her goals on realizing her dreams of continuing to play a higher calibre of hockey.
           The next big step for her will be playing with the AAA Weyburn Goldwings for the 2016-17 hockey season. She faced her first challenge of the first practice for the team of 16 girls on August 28 in Weyburn.
           "This will be the first time that I am playing hockey away from home," said Meroniuk. "I am very excited about the new challenges of playing a high calibre of hockey," she said.
            She is scheduled to attend Weyburn High School enrolled in her Grade 10 academic school year. She will be billeted out to family friends and will face some of her biggest challenges in her hockey career.
           Meroniuk started her hockey career at an early age followed in both of her brothers footsteps in the families back yard rink. She played hockey with the Preeceville Pats in a coed league from the IP stage to Pee wee level.
           In 2012, she joined an all girls hockey team, the Kamsack Flyer in the run for the provincial title. The team was runner up finalist in the Provincials for that year. That was Meroniuk's first real taste of playing with all girls. It steamed rolled into her continuing her career in the all girl league when she joined the Parkland Lions based out of Springside for the 2013-14 season.
           She helped propel her team to an undefeated season in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Saskatchewan Female Hockey League. "The experiences and friendships that I have built over the past few years have been tremendous. Playing in a all girl league has enabled me to make better connections with girls the same age as me. It has been a challenge but I am willing to make sacrifices to be able to follow my passion of playing hockey," she said.
           In the 2015 season she was selected to play for the Yorkton Gardon Crushers and played the season with them. She led they to second place finish in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Saskatchewan Female Hockey League. She was nominated by her peers as captain of the team. She  also won the most dedicated player of the season.
           Meroniuk has always found that playing center has always been her strong position. "I am excited to start another chapter in my career. My passion and drive for hockey has lead me down a great road that I am looking forward to following my dreams. My biggest supports have been my parents Michael and Sheila Meroniuk. They have helped me to keep focused and driven me to practices and games . My coaches have also been a great help in teaching and allowing me to become the player I am today," she said.
           Her hockey passion lead her to also create a hockey stick in the Sturgis Composite High School shop class. It took her 8 months to create and was acknowledged and the very the first hockey stick ever made in class at the school. She joked that she was going to use her stick to play miniature golf. " I want to thank my shop teacher, Michael Andrusko for his patience and letting me use the shop after school to finish the stick," she said.
