Members of the Lancer women’s hockey team braved the wintry weather Monday to conduct a free clinic in skills and leadership for local girls who play in the Kent County Girls Hockey Association.

“We had almost everyone out,” said captain Candice Chevalier, a fourth-year human kinetics student. “Our team loves to help out. I hope we will have the opportunity to do it again.”

She said the excellent turnout meant the youngsters received almost a one-to-one ratio of instruction.

“For the goalies, it was two-to-one, and you hardly ever see that,” she said.

Brian Rideout, a coach of the Kent Fillies, said his players loved learning from the Lancers.

“The women were just fantastic!” he said. “They were so professional. It’s really hard to find this kind of opportunity in the area of women’s hockey.”

He guessed he had taken 300 photos of the evening’s activities.

Education professor Kara Smith said the UWindsor students, working through Leadership for the Advancement of Women in Sport, provided a valuable example.

“Having the women take the lead in sport was really a defining moment for the girls,” said Dr. Smith. “It’s vital that girls in sport, especially hockey, see elite role models such as Chevalier leading sport development in our community. Every child should have the opportunity to connect with a mentor at some point in their lives, and the Lancer team made that happen.”

The next home game for Lancer women’s hockey is January 31, when they host the Toronto Varsity Blues at South Windsor Arena.