Leadership, personality and determination are just some of the descriptive words needed when talking about Pyper Alexander and Tessa Sturgeon.
The Northern Capitals’ standouts are sticking together for the foreseeable future as they both committed to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) for the 2021-22 university women’s hockey season.
With the signings, this means all four graduating athletes from Prince George’s Under-18 Female AAA club are moving up the ranks, three of whom will compete in the nation’s second-highest level of college sports known as the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Alexander and Sturgeon, when joining the Trojans, and may also face-off against current Capitals’ captain Kiera Mulder with the Red Deer Queens in the fall should COVID-19 allow it.
Brette Kerley, scoring leader the past two full seasons, put pen to paper with University of Calgary at the U SPORTS level in April 2020.
Originally from Williams Lake, Alexander has played 64 career games with the Caps, combining for 21 goals and 15 assists for 36 points.
She also served as an alternate captain both years in red and white.
Sturgeon started between the pipes 28 times for her hometown team since coming onto the scene in 2018.
The goaltender earned 15 wins, including five shut outs, four of which came in 2019-20.
That same year, prior to the COVID-19 cancellation, she put up a 9-4-1 record and a 2.00 goals-against average.
Both 17-year-old athletes will be going to a SAIT Trojans program that continues to rebuild even into the 2020s.
Its last Alberta conference (ACAC) title was 10 years ago in 2011, one of three in its history since joining in 2001.
