Graduating Prince Albert Mintos forward Josh Peppler and Prince Albert Northern Bears alumni Abby and Alli Soyko now know where they will be continuing their hockey careers.
Peppler, who joined the Mintos last season after spending the 2018-19 campaign with the Yorkton Maulers of the Saskatchewan Male Under-18 Hockey League, will be moving up to the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Lloydminster Bobcats.
The 18-year-old from Langenburg was tied for fourth in team scoring with 30 points in 44 regular season games and also lit the lamp four times at the Mac’s Tournament in Calgary over Christmas.
The Bobcats missed the playoffs this past season with an 11-41-6 record that placed them in eighth spot in the North Division standings.
After originally committing to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team in January, the Soyko sisters had to find new programs to play for after the Canada West program was eliminated by the school as a result of the Alberta provincial budget.
They both will stay in Wild Rose Country for next year as Abby committed to the Alberta Golden Bears and Alli has joined the Red Deer College Queens.
After finishing up their time with the Bears in 2019, the Soykos joined the Northern Alberta Xtreme program in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.
Abby led the team in scoring with 27 points in 23 games, while Alli was tied for third with 15 points in 23 games.
The Pandas won the Canada West title last year with a 19-8-1 record and were set to be the top overall seed for the U Sports women’s hockey championship before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Queens finished second in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference with a 15-6-3 record but lost in the semifinals to the NAIT Ooks.
