Williams Lake hockey player Julie Palmantier can only describe her last season playing minor hockey as amazing.
“It was the best season I’ve ever had,” said Palmantier, who will graduate from Columneetza secondary this year.
Palmantier spent her season playing for the Midget Female ‘A’ Kamloops Mystix, finishing among the top scorers in the Okanagan Mainline Amatuer Hockey Association, along with helping lead her team to a playoff title.
The team began its 16-game regular season in early October, and competed at OMAHA playoffs in March.
Palmantier, who plays wing, finished the regular season with 14 goals and 10 assists for a 24-point campaign.
“I got a spot on the team after tryouts in September, and then we were evaluated again during an icebreaker game against Salmon Arm,” Palmantier said.
The Mystix’s 10-6-0 regular season record landed them in second place heading into playoffs, which were held between Kamloops and Kelowna’s Okanagan Hockey School (15-1-0) in a best-of-three series for the OMAHA championship.
“We lost our first game, but we came back and won game two,” Palmantier said. “We were down three goals heading into the third period but we came back and won that game 5-4.
“The final game we played on home ice and won, 3-1.”
In the final, Palmantier scored the game-winning goal to help the Mystix to the championship.
While playing for the Mystix Palmantier attended South Kamloops secondary. Following the season she moved back to Williams Lake to complete her Grade-12 year at Columneetza.
Palmantier was also recently selected to play for Team B.C. at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Sakatoon, Sask., which starts today.
“Hopefully we can place there,” she said. “I’m not sure what the teams will be like our what ours is going to turn out to be.”
Following this season, Palmantier said she hopes to play hockey at the collegiate level.