Jolena Gillard wants to pursue a career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when she graduates from high school in 2018 and she’s going to use hockey as an avenue to make it happen.
The 15-year-old Level 1 student at Elwood High School in Deer Lake is one of the top female hockey players in Newfoundland and Labrador with a lofty goal of playing for Team Canada some day.
However, a gig playing university hockey next season is foremost on her mind as she leads the charge for the Western Warriors AAA female hockey team that is boasting an 8-0 record on the season after winning four games in Rocky Harbour over the weekend.
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Playing for Team Canada is the goal for Jolena Gilllard
Gillard was the offensive catalyst in the four wins, racking up six goals and 10 assists to put the team in first place with an unblemished record in the four-team league.
Gillard has already spoken to a handful of Canadian universities who are interested in recruiting her for Atlantic University Sport female hockey play when she wraps up her minor hockey career.
She has a few options to consider before she makes her decision, but she wants to make sure she finds the right fit. She wants to attend a school that has a solid hockey program, but also provides her with the path to pursuing police studies.
Being on a skilled team that she believes is the best female hockey team in the province doesn’t hurt her chances of getting noticed so she was quick to credit her teammates for the great supporting cast she shares the ice with this season.
She hopes the Warriors can continue to rack up the wins and she’s only focused on giving it her best every shift. She has high expectations placed on her game so she’s just going to stay focused on what she can control.
“I guess we got to keep working hard because all the teams are gunning for us,” she said.
The Warriors will look to extend the unbeaten string Dec. 8-10 weekend when they travel to the Southern Shore Arena in Mobile for the third weekend tournament of the 2017-2018 season.
