ESTEVAN - New teams and a new league made their debut at Affinity Place on Saturday afternoon.
The Estevan IG Wealth Management U13 AA Bearcats faced the Saskatoon Comet Hurricanes in the first-ever game for the new U13 AA female division of the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League. Saskatoon won the game 9-1.
Ruby Graf had the lone goal for the Bearcats, a tally that came 4:33 into the third period and left Estevan down 4-1.
Isla Hutchison of Saskatoon scored the division's first goal 10:38 into the first period. It was a close game early on, as Saskatoon had leads of 1-0 through the first period and 3-0 through two.
Hutchison finished with four goals for Saskatoon. Presley Oleksyn had two goals, and Annie Furguson, Zoe Bigoraj and Anna Wardell also scored.
Baya Summers stopped 40 of the 49 shots she faced for Estevan, including 17 of 18 shots in the first period. Avery Peace was the goalie for Saskatoon.
Prior to the game, the players for the Bearcats were introduced to the fans. Brad Durr, the former female director for the Estevan Minor Hockey Association and one of the people who played a key role in bringing the U13 AA female program to Estevan, dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff.
