Women's recreational hockey took on an international flair this week when Newmarket's Wandering Misfits hockey team played host to the Swiss team, La Chaux de Fonds, at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex Wednesday.
The Swiss women's team is travelling throughout Ontario and Quebec, playing "friendlies" with local teams, on a tour organized by Carl Lavigne, who is manager of research and translation with the Montreal Canadiens in his day job.
The Swiss team, whose players are "significantly younger" than the Wandering Misfits players, dominated at the start of the game, taking an early 2-0 lead over
the locals. However, experience won over youth and the Misfits tied it up in the second period and eventually won 6-4.
Afterwards, both teams retired to Market Brewing Co., where the Misfits provided dinner and everyone enjoyed drinks and socializing before the Swiss team had to head back to their hotel in Toronto.
Misfits founder and captain Tanja Hutahajan said the team was established as an independent touring team, but it recently joined the senior women's league of Central York Girls Hockey Association (CYGHA).
The players, aged 29 to 58, play locally in the recreational league — "home" is Hollingsworth Arena — but also continue to "work on building bridges with women's hockey in Europe," she said.
— With files from Debora Kelly
