Chaos wrap up season with scrimmage, scholarship presentations

This week, the Cochrane Chaos had one more skate before wrapping up their season.

It also saw six of its players awarded scholarships from the Friends of Alberta Junior Hockey Society. 

Bob and Jean Green, of the Friends of Alberta Junior Hockey Society, presented scholarships to Kayla Ironside, Kari Pedder, Kalaina Kozak, Carley Wlad, Brooklyn Carels, and Nicole Johnson to assist with their post-secondary education.

The Friends society was established in 1985 and provided scholarships to players from Alberta Junior Hockey League for about the first 10 years. It was later expanded to include other junior B, C, and female junior A players.

Chaos players account for a third of the scholarships presented to players in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League this season.

Green says they typically receive 100 applications each year and present 25 to 30 scholarships. This year, they sponsored 19 scholarships and jointly funded 10 with the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Foundation. They are for $1,500 and $2,000.

The scholarships are awarded based upon academic achievement and community involvement, with some consideration given to life goals. As of this season, the society has presented over $1 million in scholarships.

Carley Wlad is one of the two players aging out this season and participated in the final scrimmage. She says it's been a good run.

The Red Deer native played three seasons for the University of Calgary before joining the Chaos in the 2020-21 season. 

"I feel I've had a lot of experiences and lessons I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life," says Wlad. "This has been an awesome year. I'm definitely going to miss the girls."

"Unfortunately, we didn't make it to finals, but at the end of the day, it's a game and it happens."

Because of her studies, she no longer had time to dedicate to playing varsity hockey. She sought out other options and heard great things about the Chaos.

"This team has a really good reputation, and for good reason. The girls are awesome, the team atmosphere is great, commitment is really high, and that's something a lot of girls want when they look for a team."

Wlad was also one of the scholarship recipients and says it's much appreciated. With another four or five years of medical school ahead, she says it's going to help with her tuition.

Chaos head coach Derek Loomer says the team has hung up its skates until spring camp but will have a  windup soon.

"We'll celebrate the girls that are graduating, and just have that time together to remember the season, all the good things, and make sure the girls are all excited about coming back next year and maybe getting that one step further."

Bob Green, director of the Friends of Alberta Junior Hockey Society, presented scholarships to, from left, Kari Pedder, Carley Wlad, Kalaina Kozak, Brooklyn Carels, and Nicole Johnson.