Mallard recognized for the talent of Lacquette sisters

A pair of Aboriginal sisters are doing their best to put their tiny community of Mallard, Man. on the map.
Brigette and Tara Lacquette, aged 15 and 17 respectively, have both been identified as two of the country's best young female hockey players.
Both Brigette, who plays defence, and Tara, a goaltender, are hoping to be named to the Canadian girls' under-18 squad this year.
If you haven't heard of Mallard, there's a good reason for it. The Lacquettes' father Terrence said Mallard's adult population is only about 80.
"But when you count all the kids and all the cats and dogs, it's about 120-130," said the Elder Lacquette, a Métis, who has lived in Mallard his whole life.
Though they live in a small, rural Manitoba community, Hockey Canada officials are fully aware of well the Lacquettes can play hockey.
The sisters were among the 47 invitees to a strength, conditioning and skating camp Hockey Canada ran for its girls' under-18 program in Calgary in late May.
In early June the sisters were awaiting to hear whether they would be invited to the club's next camp, set for July 18-27, also in Calgary. Forty players are expected to receive invites to that camp.
Following the next Calgary camp, a total of 26 players will be chosen to travel to Lake Placid, N.Y. in August.
And then, following some more training and games in Lake Placid, Canada's final 20-player roster for the 2008-09 season is expected to be announced.
Terrence Lacquette is unsure how far his daughters will advance with the national team program this season. But he's thrilled that both were even considered for the first Calgary camp.
"We still really can't believe it right now," he said. "Right now I'm really excited for them and happy for them. Just to be called to this level says something about what they've already accomplished. If they don't make it to the next level, we'll still be happy for them."
The sisters have managed to excel in hockey even though they have to overcome some huge travel obstacles just to play.
As they have done for the past several seasons, the Lacquettes played for two different clubs this past year.
They play girls' hockey with the Parkland Panthers, a midget AA squad located in Gilbert Plains, Man., almost 160 kilometres from their home.
And they also play for a boys' team, the Winnipegosis Tigers, who are based about 100 kilometres away.
Between the two teams, the Lacquettes played a total of 84 games this season ­ two more than National Hockey League teams have during their regular season schedules.
Terrence Lacquette doesn't mind the lengthy road trips, often just to get his daughters to their home games.
"We've been through four or five cars already," said Lacquette, whose wife Anita is from Saskatchewan's Cote First Nation. "Once they reach about 350,000 kilometres, they're pretty much done. We usually drive them into the ground and then run them into a field somewhere."
Even getting to school is a bit of a trek for the Lacquettes. They attend Rorkaeton Collegiate, about a 50-minute drive from their home.
Finding any nearby ice to skate on during the spring and summer months is also a challenge for the Lacquettes.
"We're just too far north," Terrence Lacquette said. "The closest rink is in Brandon, three hours away."
So in order to stay in shape, the Lacquette siblings either rollerblade, jog or go biking.
Brigette Lacquette said her first national team training camp has further cemented her long-time hockey goal of one day representing her country.
"It was always on my mind," she said of her desire to don a Canadian team jersey. "And it's never left my mind."
A total of 14 defence players, divided into two groups, attended the first Calgary camp.
The youngest Lacquette was in one of the seven-player groups and did not get to see the other group in action. So she said it's impossible to speculate where she fared in comparison to all the defence players.
"I would say I was in the middle somewhere for my group," she said.
As for Tara Lacquette, she was one of six goaltenders at the camp. Only four are expected to receive invites to the next Calgary camp.
"They said I had tried really hard but I'm not actually sure how I did," she said. "But I think I should be among the top three goalies. And I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I am in the top three."
Though this is her first season with the national team program, Tara Lacquette is no stranger to national competition.
Last November she was a member of the Manitoba squad that captured the bronze medal at the national girls' under-18 tournament staged in Kitchener, Ont.
Both Lacquettes also represented their province at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, which concluded in early May in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.