The Edmonton WAM! is a ringette team in the National Ringette League's (NRL) Western Conference. The team is one of two NRL teams based in Edmonton, Alberta, with the other being the Edmonton Black Gold Rush. Their other provincial rival is the Calgary RATH.
| Edmonton WAM! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Wambits |
| City |  Edmonton, Alberta |
| League | National Ringette League |
| Conference | Western |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Colours | |
| Head coach | Emily Lubbers |
| Website | wamringette |
| Championships | |
| NRL Titles | 5 (2007, 2010, 2011, 2023, 2024) |
Team history
editThe WAM! were founded in 2004 at the same time as the NRL, which was first established in 2002, was moving towards playing its first season. It was not until 2007–08 that a proper National Ringette League division became a part of the annual Canadian Ringette Championships, but the WAM! found early success and won a national title representing Alberta in the Open Division at the 2007 national championships.[1] The coach of the winning 2007 team was Lisa Brown, a member of the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame inducted in 2008 in the Athlete category. Brown was also a former player for the Canada national ringette team.
The team won its first official NRL title at the 2010 Canadian Ringette Championships, hosted in Saskatoon. The WAM! avenged a loss from the 2009 gold medal game by defeating the Cambridge Turbos in the final by a score of 2–0 with goaltender Keely Brown posting a shutout.[2] The Turbos and WAM! met in the final for a third straight year at the 2011 Championships, and Edmonton secured its second consecutive national title with a 4–2 victory in which Brown made 50 saves.[3]
The team remained competitive, including winning back-to-back bronze medals in 2014 and 2015.[4] Defender Jenna Debaji was named to Team Canada for the 2016 World Ringette Championships, where the team won silver.[5]
After the 2022 season, veteran Emily Lubbers retired from playing and became the head coach of the WAM! She had played with the team since 2011, winning two silver and two bronze medals each at the national championships.[6] In her first season as coach, Lubbers led the WAM! to a 22–4 record to finish atop the Western Conference. The team also played an exhibition match against the Alberta junior team in February ahead of the Canada Winter Games.[7] The team was a favourite ahead of the 2023 Canadian Championships in Regina. There, the WAM! went undefeated to win their first national title since 2011. Gillian Dreger, Melissa Misutka, and Annie Debaji were all named to the tournament all-star team.[8]
After the 2023-2024 regular season placed them third in the west the WAM! Had a 5-2 record at the 2024 Canadian Ringette Championships in Dieppe where they defeated the Calgary Rath 10-3 for a second consecutive national championship. Gillian Dreger, Annie Debaji, and Melissa Misutka were all named in the tournament all-star team.
Season-by-season
editThis section needs to be updated. (July 2023) |
| Season[9] | League | Conference | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
| 2021–22 | NRL | Western | 20 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 117 | 85 |
| 2022–23 | NRL | Western | 26 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 170 | 100 |
Rosters
editCurrent roster
edit| 2023–24 Edmonton WAM! | ||
|---|---|---|
| #[10][11] | Name | Position |
| 1 | Kaeli Woodliffe | G |
| 2 | Gillian Dreger | C |
| 3 | Annie Debaji | D |
| 4 | Jamie Bell | C |
| 6 | Dailyn Bell | C |
| 7 | Torrie Shennan | F |
| 8 | Jazmyn Fevin | F |
| 9 | Nina Tajbaksh | F |
| 10 | Lauren Henderson | F |
| 12 | Kirsten Krochak | F |
| 13 | Sydney Fevin | F |
| 14 | Kate Henderson | D |
| 15 | Jamie Ferri | D |
| 16 | Kaleigh Ryan-York | D |
| 17 | Vail Ketsa | F |
| 18 | Melissa Misutka | D |
| 19 | Erica Lee | D |
| 31 | Megan Riou | G |
| 95 | Rita-Jeanne Smith | G |
Team Canada players
editWAM! players have competed for the Canada national ringette team at the World Ringette Championships (WRC) and are listed in the table below.
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2017 |  2017 Team Canada Senior
|
Dailyn Bell |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Senior
|
Jamie Bell |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Senior
|
Lindsay Brown |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Junior
|
Gillian Dreger |
| 2017 | 2017 Team Canada Junior
|
Torrie Shennan |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior
|
Gillian Dreger |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior
|
Melissa Mistuka |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior
|
Dailyn Bell |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior
|
Jamie Bell |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Senior
|
Annie Debaji |
| 2019 | 2019 Team Canada Junior
|
Torrie Shennan |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior
|
Gillian Dreger |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior
|
Melissa Misutka |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior
|
Nina Tajbaksh |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Senior
|
Torrie Shennan |
| 2022 | 2022 Team Canada Junior
|
Vail Ketsa |
| Year | Team | Player |
| 2023 | 2023 Team Canada Junior
|
Jazmyn Fevin |
| 2023 | 2023 Team Canada Junior
|
Kaleigh Ryan-York |
References
edit- ^ "Saskatchewan, Quebec and Alberta win gold at Canadian ringette championships". Winnipeg Free Press. 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ "Alberta teams dominate ringette championships". CBC News. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ "Brown leads Edmonton to second straight gold, St. Clements falls in U19 final". Waterloo Region Record. 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ Moddejonge, Gerry (2016-04-01). "Edmonton ringette coach finds way to travel to nationals despite brain cancer battle". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ Gazzola, Paul (2015-12-23). "Looking for gold". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-19 – via pressreader.
- ^ "Coaching Staff". Edmonton WAM! Ringette. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ Robb, Jessica (2023-02-12). "Team Alberta ringette stars get celebrity send-off ahead of Canada Winter Games". CTV News. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ "2023 Canadian Ringette Championships - Results". Ringette Canada. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ "NRL/LNR Standings". National Ringette League. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
- ^ "2022/23 WAM! Roster". Edmonton WAM! Ringette. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ "Edmonton Ringette Club | WAM! 2022/23". edmontonringetteclub.com. Edmonton Ringette Club. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.