Local hockey prospect Jennifer Moe has made the jump from midget AAA in Lloydminster to semi-pro hockey with the Edmonton Chimos at the youthful age of 17. As one of the top scorers on the Lloydminster Steelers, the speedy and talented forward caught the eye of the Chimos, who are part of the Western Women's Hockey League.
Typically the Chimos are made up of players over the age of 21, however, Jennifer's talent and potential were too much to pass up and the Chimos picked her up in August of this year as an underage player. Jennifer is one of only three midget-age players on the team, but said that does not bother her.
“It's different, but it's still a lot of fun (playing for the Chimos), because everyone is mature already,” she said. And despite the difference in age, all the players are there for the same thing – to play hockey – and they treat her like any other teammate.
Jennifer started playing hockey at the age of 10 in Bonnyville, where her skills and love for the game quickly progressed. She said she became more serious about hockey in Grade 9 during what was supposed to be her second year of bantam. But rather than play bantam, she was called up to midget AAA as an underage player for the first time.
Used to being one of the younger players on her hockey teams, Jennifer said she looks to some of the older players who play for provincial and national teams for inspiration. One of the players she currently looks up to is teammate Meaghan Mikkelson who also plays for Team Canada.
Jennifer said her ultimate goal in hockey would be to play for Team Canada at the Olympics. When asked what she would do if Hockey Canada came calling and asked her to play for the national team, she responded, “I would say yes for sure and put everything else on hold.”
With the amount of progress Jennifer has made in hockey in such a short period of time, she has already had to put several things on hold, including spending time with her family.
“Not being with my family during the hockey season is probably the biggest sacrifice,” she said. But she explained that still being relatively close to home – playing out of Edmonton – she is able to make time to see her family on weekends or between games.
With family as an important part of her life, Jennifer has received offers to play at American colleges, but said she would rather stay in Canada and play hockey, while attending university. With a scholarship lined up and high school coming to an end this year, she has plans to attend the University of Calgary in 2011.
But for now she remains solely focused on hockey and helping the Edmonton Chimos win. “Hockey is the biggest part of my life right now, it's something I want to do and I want to be successful at it.”
So far this season Jennifer and the Chimos have been successful, going 3-1 and sitting tied for first in the league.
