A month-early birthday present for a former Prince George female midget hockey star came in the form of a red and white sweater with a maple leaf crest.
Kelsey Roberts was one of three goaltenders named to Hockey Canada’s national women’s development team on Sunday (Aug. 11) after she received an invitation to selection camp earlier this month.
The 20-year-old played four years between the pipes for the Northern Capitals, Prince George’s top-tier female minor hockey team, after moving from her hometown of Kitimat.
She led them to back-to-back B.C. Hockey midget AAA championships in 2015 and 2016.
Since then, she’s played three seasons in U-Sports as the starter for the University of Calgary Dinos, has earned 16 wins including seven shutouts, and her 4,006 minutes played and 2,034 saves rank second among Canada West conference netminders.
During Hockey Canada’s selection camp, Roberts suited up in four games and stopped 25 of 26 shots she faced.
The 2016 graduate of Prince George Secondary School (PGSS) is also just one of four Canadian university players to make the 23-woman roster.
She is also the oldest of the three goalies named to this year’s squad and one of two from B.C.
Roberts will travel with Canada to Lake Placid, New York this week to face the United States national women’s development team in a three-game series Aug. 14 to 17.
