Cochrane hockey and Olympic fans are in for a real treat tonight (Oct. 11).

The AC Avalanche 'AAA' midget team will be facing off against the Calgary Inferno's all-star lineup of elite women hockey players at the SLS Family Sports Centre. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. for the refereed two-period scrimmage.

This will be the first time the 2018-19 lineup of the Calgary Inferno will be playing together and it comes just ahead of their first two games of the Canadian Women's Hockey League season in Montreal, Oct. 13-14. They are also scheduled to play a regular season game here on Dec. 2 at the Cochrane Arena against the Markham Thunder, the Clarkson Cup defending champions.

Avs head coach Terry Sydoryk says it's a great opportunity for the Avs.

"It will definitely be an eye-opener, as it always is when the boys hit the ice with the female professionals. They feel that it will be an easy game--not a chance. These people are skilled, they understand the game, they move the puck, they skate well. It will be great for us to go through that experience and see what it will be like to play against a well-coached, well-skilled team."

The Inferno has a number of returning veterans and an all-star line up of nine Olympians on their roster.

Inferno general manager Kristen Hagg says they have an ongoing relationship with Cochrane Minor Hockey and look forward to the scrimmage. They have an added connection to the community with Ryan Hilderman, of P3 Sports, joining their staff as an assistant coach to Shannon Miller, who coached with Team Canada from 1991-1998, winning three world championships and a silver medal at the Olympics in 1998.  

Being the home of Hockey Canada makes Calgary an attractive place for female Olympic-level hockey players. While training centres have now been established in both Montreal and Toronto, the Inferno continues to be a draw for not only Canadian Olympians but those from the US, Japan and Finland.

The team likes to take their game on the road to inspire younger players.

"We like to showcase that talent to the community and allow younger generations to see them play and hopefully aspire to be the same one day," says Hagg, who played for the Inferno after four seasons with the U of A Panda and two seasons in Europe.

"For these young ladies to have female adult role models that are playing high level and doing these things, in the future, it gives them something to aspire to and something to dream about. It helps to build enthusiasm for those players who are involved in the sport."

Bringing a regular-season game to Cochrane in December will provide even greater exposure to the calibre of play in the CWHL.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm in Cochrane and now having the connection with Ryan I think it's going to be a really, really good event."