Pat Payton
Sports Editor

A Stratford teen is playing hockey this week in the 2010 Ontario Winter Games in the Huntsville area.

Tia, 14, participated in one of the six Winter Games selection camps in October of 2009. The right winger-centre was notified in December that she was selected to play on one of the eight teams competing at the Games. She is the only participant from Stratford.

Women’s hockey at the Winter Games is being held March 4-7. The girls arrived in Toronto on Tuesday of this week for a pre-event camp. They were informed at that time what team they will be playing for.

Practices were scheduled for Wednesday, followed by exhibition games today (Thursday).

The opening ceremonies for the Games are tonight (Thursday) starting at 7 p.m. in Gravenhurst, and the real hockey begins on Friday. Women’s hockey will be played at the Baysville Arena.

Hockey is one of 25 sports being played at the Winter Games. Some of the others are: Alpine skiing, five-pin bowling, curling, figure skating, judo, snowboarding, speed-skating, boxing, ringette, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Events will be held in Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville and Lake of Bays, Muskoka Lakes and Sudbury.

Tia, meanwhile, played for four years with the Bluewater Hawks, based out of Strathroy, until she made the switch to the London Devilettes Bantam ‘AA’ team this season.

A Grade 9 student at St. Mikes, Tia is the daughter of Kevin and Lesley Kipfer.