With just six weeks to go until they hit the ice at the 2007 Canada Winter Games, the Yukon's female hockey team knows every single game they play is important.

Up against provincial teams that have played dozens of games already this year and some which have been involved in competitive women's hockey for years longer, the Yukoners will need every ounce of experience they can possibly grab in order to post a respectable showing at the Games.

So after winning a silver medal at a midget AA tournament in Burnaby in November, and playing a weekend series of games against Team N.W.T. later that same month, the coaching staff of the female crew decided to up the ante this past weekend.

The AA Yukon team, which features a half dozen bantam players and not one player older than 16, packed their bags and headed for Penticton, B.C. where they skated in the Penticton Female Midget AAA Tournament of Excellence.

This invitational tournament featured eight female midget AAA teams from across B.C., including a very strong Penticton-based team of the famed Okanagan Hockey Academy.

Head coach Randy Merkel admitted that by putting his young team in a high level tournament designed for 15 to 17 year olds, the coaching staff sort of threw them to the wolves. But he said it was a necessary step in order for the squad to realize just how tough the competition at the Canada Games would be. And he was impressed with how they responded, even though they won just one of their four games.

'I think it was everything we expected it to be,' said Merkel. 'We competed at a level that was a step above what our girls had ever faced. It was a little more aggressive ... the passing and the shooting ... the calibre was just another step up.

'But I think the girls responded. They got pushed and shoved, and they shoved back. As the tournament progressed, they picked it up more and we won the last game.'

In their first game at the AAA level, Yukon fell 6-1 to the Comox Valley North Island Edge, with Jessica Trotter of Haines Junction collecting the lone goal.

In the second game, Teslin's Jocelyn Boutilier notched the only Yukon goal as the team was defeated 7-1 by the Okanagan Hockey Academy's Penticton Vees.

In the third contest, played against Williams Lake, Yukon faced the first string goalie for Team B.C.'s Canada Winter Games team and they were shut out 4-0, even though the shots on net were much closer than the score indicated, 32-29.

'We got shut out, but the girls played hard that game,' stated Merkel. 'If it hadn't been for that goalie, we might have won the game.'

The Yukon's fourth game, a 4-3 win against the Grand Forks Thunder Cats, was by far their strongest showing. They were led offensively by Trotter and Boutilier, who notched two goals apiece, and by the playmaking of defenceman Mallory Lesage.

'They really battled, fought hard for the win,' said Merkel. 'They fought to the finish and kept their spirits up.

'I thought they did pretty damn good. They didn't quit.'

Merkel said the entire experience really opened the team's eyes, pointing out the fact there were a few players at the tournament who will be on Team B.C. at the Games gave them some idea of what the competition will be like.

'It's a learning curve. It will help us train through the next month. This will help push the team to the next level.'

Trotter, the captain of Team Yukon, said they were pretty nervous going into the tournament, not knowing what to expect from midget AAA hockey. But she felt the team learned a lot in Penticton, and that this experience will help the team prepare mentally for the Canada Winter Games, where the competition will be a lot tougher.

Over the next six weeks female hockey is during Week 2 of the Games there are a few areas Merkel and the rest of the coaching staff, Dave Nugent and Ria von Loewenstein, would like to work on.

One is being more aggressive on the puck, as well as the 'puck pursuit side of things.'

'When you see the puck spring loose, the first one to react is usually the first one to get it,' Merkel explained. 'We need to be the first ones to the puck.'

The team also needs to work on their speed, he added, since a higher calibre of hockey means everything is quicker. You no longer have the time you used to in order to get to the puck or set up plays.

Also, the head coach spoke about the importance of positional play.

'It's about executing your chances, learning how to be positionally correct. Our girls are still trying to get a grasp on that.'

One of the things Merkel was most impressed with in Penticton, was the attitude of his players, who certainly left an impression on the staff at their hotel.

'Both places we've gone this year, at both hotels, they've commented to us when we're checking out that this was the best group they've had. They said they're the most well-behaved, most polite group of hockey players they'd seen all year.

'They're comrades. We really preach that. They treat each other with a lot of respect.'

Merkel added he was grateful for all of the parental support on the trip, as well as all the hard work of manager Tanya Astika in organizing everything. He pointed out the female hockey team has received nothing but support from everyone in the community.

'The community is really behind us and that's important, because this program is going to continue beyond the Canada Games.'