New head coach Madison Laberge, assistant coach Mylene Lefebvre and the Sudbury U15 "AA" Lady Wolves under their watch are in for a voyage of discovery this year. There is no denying that the Stoney Creek U15 "AA" Showcase this weekend represents one of their first big stops on the trip.
Practicing at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex earlier this week, coaches and players alike were preparing for the challenge of a 64-team international field that gathers in Hamilton area each and every September.
Many long-time Lady Wolves are fairly accustomed to what they are likely to see. Relative newcomers like Sadie Cormier are in for a bit of an eye-opener.
A 5'7" former defenceman with the Copper Cliff U14 "A" Reds last year, Cormier is making the adjustment both to playing up front on the wings as well as suiting up with the girls on a permanent basis this year, having been dual-rostered in 2025-2026.
"I had played with hitting with the boys, but I think I'm adjusting pretty well to that," said Cormier, a grade nine student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. "You want to keep going in more for the stick and not the body."
"You want to rub them off for the stick and angle them more."
Throw in a move up to a forward position and it's clear that Cormier will be granted a little time to settle in. "I think my offensive game is shining through," she said. "I was D (with the boys) - and I was a very defensive D."
Like Cormier, forward Julianna Smith spent some time in boys hockey and mostly at younger ages in her case, this being her fourth year with the Lady Wolves. At U13, Smith progressed from the "BB" team in her minor year to "A" in her major - and has now jumped from the U15 "A" squad last year to the "AA" team this fall.
"I am handling the puck more and making better plays - and shooting more," noted the 14 year-old grade nine student at Ecole secondaire l'Horizon. "I am focused on always keeping my feet moving, always having my head up."
And, at higher levels of play, the smaller details take on much greater importance, as the young winger has noticed.
"If I can get the puck off the wall, chip it off the boards and get it up to my center on a breakout, that will be amazing," said Smith. Regardless of their background, the likelihood is that this is the first year that most of the girls on the team will be playing for female coaches just a few years older than they are (in Laberge and Lefebvre).
"It's nice because they just came from playing really good hockey and they've played with the girls, so they get us," said Smith. "They've been where we are, which is nice."
As for the weekend in Stoney Creek, coaches are unlikely to criticize much on the defensive side of things, even if goal scoring has been hard to come by.
The Sudbury U15 AA Lady Wolves have played to a scoreless tie with both the Clarington Flames and Detroit Honeybacked (Taylor Croskery registered both shutouts), with a 3-1 loss to Fox Motors of Michigan squeezed in between (Olive Simon with the goal).
"I think we definitely have enough skill to put the puck in the back of the net and get some high scoring games," said Cormier. "It will come."
Rounding out the 2026-2027 Sudbury roster are Madden Poirier, Taylor Poirier, Daviy Dale, Meredith Sonnenburg, Thea Dupuis, Kaitlyn Zarifa, Jordyn White, Jordyn Corbiere, Zoe Gatien, Annabel Manning, Maelle Angus, Frederique Larose and Ava Wicklander.
