Eastman Selects, Turcotte and Hanson Join Cougars Hockey

Pandora Turcotte and Miikka Hanson, of the Eastman Selects, will play for the Cougars women’s hockey team in the fall.

Turcotte lives just East of Winnipeg in Oakbank, Manitoba, where she will soon graduate from Springfield Collegiate Institute. Despite having skill on the ice, many of her athletic accolades have accrued on the football field. She won a girls football championship in 2018 and received the Most Valuable Player award. That same year she played Pee Wee AA boys football where she also won a championship. The following season, in senior girls football, she won the Best Offensive Player award. In 2021 she was part of the high school’s division II football championship, won a senior girls championship in 2022 and was awarded Most Valuable Player.

Her competitive edge transfers over on ice as well. This season, Turcotte scored seven goals and added 5 assists, playing forward for the Eastman Selects. Turcotte’s love for hockey started at a young age when her parents enrolled her at age four, and she’s been honing her skills on ice ever since.

“I have a good hockey sense and know where to be positionally,” said Turcotte. “I love playing competitive sports and am excited to be a part of the team.”

“The Eastman Selects coaching staff couldn’t say enough about how Pandora’s game has grown from the start of the year,” said Cougars head coach Tony Bertone. “We saw a hard working forward that understands the game well. We look for those traits and are looking forward to coaching her next season and growing her game even more.”

For grades nine and ten, Turcotte attended Kildonan-East Collegiate, where she got some exposure to trades. She excelled in, and enjoyed the electrical courses and will be taking the college’s Construction Electrician program in the fall.

Miikka Hanson is a 5’7” defenceman with the Eastman Selects. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she attends Shaftesbury Highschool. This season she scored two goals and notched six assists with the Selects. In Pee Wee and Bantam AA she received All-Star game selections and last year (2022) Top 68 Hockey Manitoba Selection.

“My strongest attributes as a defenseman is my ability to see the ice to create the smart or creative plays, and my skating abilities allow me to pick up speed or escape pressure,” said Hanson. “I am looking forward to meeting new people, connecting with other athletes and working on my game with Coach Tony.”

“Miikka is a smooth, strong, skating defender,” said Cougars coach Tony Bertone. “She’s a heads-up defender that can read and make those safe small passes in the D-zone which can help move pucks out. We look forward to growing her game with the Cougars!”

Hanson excels in the classroom having remained an honour roll student since middle school. She is enrolled for the college’s Business Administration program in the fall.