Mackenzie Drake joins Newbridge Academy Female Varsity Hockey

Mackenzie Drake is no stranger to success — both on and off the ice. The 13-year-old Dartmouth native was recently named to the inaugural Newbridge Academy Female Varsity Hockey team. As the co-captain of her Peewee AA team for the 2015-16 regular season, she was selected as an all-star forward in the 2015-16 provincial championships; in addition to winning the fastest skater award.

“It’s exciting,” said Drake simply. “I’m excited to be supporting my school and I’m looking forward to getting better as a player and travelling a lot.”

In more recent seasons, Drake has stepped up into a leadership role on the ice, which is reflected in the cool and calm manner in which she holds herself. Talking about the game is all business for the young teen, who has set her sights on more success.

“I hope I can be a leader, but it really doesn’t matter if I get a letter. I can still lead by example,” she said. “I can help keep the energy up and guide players on the ice during play.”

Being a member of the varsity team with Newbridge means a lot of things for young players. The biggest advantage is the ability to travel throughout the country and continent playing against different and tougher teams — a level of competition that’s hard to replicate at home.

“I’m used to playing against people in my city and the Maritimes,” said Drake. “I had the chance to play spring hockey, where I was matched up against players from the United States; they’re tough teams to play against. I’m looking forward to having different competition. If it’s hard, we’re just going to have to get better.”

As a member of the inaugural female varsity hockey team, Drake will be one of the founding members in creating a legitimate, full-time option for female hockey training in Maritime Canada. It’s a prospect she’s excited about.

“I’m like a pioneer,” said Drake. “Helping to build the team will attract more girls to my school. We’ll be saying that hockey isn’t just a boy’s sport — it can be a girl’s sport, too. If I’m one of the first to help create that culture and that team, then it can only be a good thing.

“At Newbridge I like that we get a lot of homework,” she continued. “I find that since I made the switch from my old school three years ago, I’ve improved at my schooling. They push you more for schooling and I love that they have lots of options for sports teams. They have soccer and hockey as varsity teams, but they also have gym sports like badminton.”

With Drake, Newbridge has added a speedy centre with a knack for leadership.

“It’s hard to explain how I play,” said Drake. “I’m very fast, I think. When I really want to win — say we’re down by a lot — I get very angry. When my team isn’t playing like I think we should, I feel like I have to step up and lead by example so the team can be better.”

When she’s not tearing up the ice, Drake can be found playing soccer for Dartmouth United, paddling and playing baseball.

Newbridge Academy’s season will kick off at the start of the school year.