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Women and girls hockey in Saskatoon is getting a boost to the tune of $25,000 that could climb even higher in the weeks to come.
The Saskatoon & District Comets Female Hockey Association has been named one of five regional finalists across the country for the 2026 Kruger Big Assist program.
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Comets communications coordinator, Janessa Yeomans, nominated the program for the Canada-wide competition, which helps to reward minor hockey organizations removing financial barriers for families in hockey.
“We’re just so excited to see what that $25,000 could do for our community and for Saskatoon in general,” Yeomans said.
“I would say a little dumbfounded. We did the work, we put in an application like anyone can. To receive it and to see what that can do for our community, we’re just absolutely thrilled.”
The Comets will be using the regional finalist $25,000 donation towards offering more coaching clinics for program alumni, creating mentorship programs and assisting financially-burdened families with equipment.
They’ve been named a regional winner alongside the Vancouver Female Ice Hockey Association, the Chapleau Minor Hockey Association in Ontario, Quebec’s Lac des Deux Montagnes Hockey Association and Keswick Valley Minor Hockey in New Brunswick.
One association will be selected following an online vote this month to receive an extra $75,000 donation and crowned the Kruger Big Assist national champion.
Yeomans said if selected, the Comets plan to create a citywide ‘Try and Stay’ hockey program, where newcomers to the sport are able to suit up on the ice for free as part of a one-day clinic.
“Maybe they’re new to hockey and just a little bit more intimidated about what that looks like,” Yeomans said.
“They can come out, we’ve got equipment. They can experience the sport, if they do want to register we’ve got equipment for them and just trying to get more girls into the sport.”
Voting will open April 13 at 10 a.m. on the Kruger Big Assist webpage and will remain live until 10 a.m. on April 16, with the association receiving the most votes being awarded the extra funding.
“We just want everyone in Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon and really even the Prairies to want to vote for us April 13 to 16,” Yeomans said. “To (also) resonate with wanting to keep more kids in sport and grow that in the Prairies and in Saskatoon.”
Having rapidly grown to 833 girls participating across the city in their programming, Yeomans said interest in Comets hockey has exploded in recent years.
Now with this funding at their disposal and potentially more, it’s allowing the program to ask some important question on how to further enhance girls hockey in Saskatoon and across the province.
“How do we keep growing our girls into the leaders of today and into tomorrow?” Yeomans asked, posing the question the organization is pondering.
“How do we keep growing their hockey journeys from just playing, into coaching and making sure we can keep doing that?”
