Antigonish goalie turns heads playing high-level hockey on boys' team

It's been a season of growth and development for Antigonish's Rhyah Stewart.

The 16-year-old goalie from Antigonish showed she could shine in a boys' league as a member of the Cape Breton West Islanders of the Nova Scotia U18 Major Hockey League, the highest level of hockey for that age group in the province.

"This season has been a great experience for me," said Stewart, who has to travel 75 minutes to Port Hood to play with the Islanders.

"I think playing in this league has really pushed me to become a better player."

In 21 regular-season games for the Islanders, she had seven wins and 11 losses and a 3.67 goals-against average. She faced more shots — 771 — than any other goalie in the league and had the eighth-best save percentage.

Playing on boys' teams is nothing new for Stewart. The Grade 11 student at Dr. John Hugh Gills High School has always played boys' hockey. This year was her first in the U18 league.

When the Islanders were eliminated from the league playoffs recently, it capped off a four-week stretch of hockey that seemed like a blur for Stewart.

The league playoffs came immediately after Stewart led Nova Scotia's women's team to a silver medal at the Canada Winter Games in P.E.I. It was Nova Scotia's first medal in women's hockey in Canada Games history and the first for any Atlantic women's team.

"That whole experience at the Canada Games was incredible and for me it really was, like, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Stewart.

Kori Cheverie coached the Canada Games team. Cheverie, a New Glasgow native, is also an assistant coach with Canada's national women's team.

"Rhyah played extremely well and really had the hot hand," said Cheverie. "She made big saves when we really needed her to make them."