The Cochrane Chaos junior female hockey team will wrap up a four-day return to the ice on Saturday with an intrasquad scrimmage.

Upwards of 30 players participated in their first scrimmage last night at Totem Two in the SLS Family Sports Centre that followed a couple of sessions to knock the rust off the blades.

The full camp goes in the fall, says head coach Derek Loomer.

"This was basically to get everybody back on the ice and to see each other, get that feeling and start building the culture for next season."

He is impressed with how many players were able to commit to the training on short notice. Some were unable to attend due to summer work commitments.

"It's been a long time sitting on the sideline while everyone dealt with the pandemic. It's so nice to be back at the rink with all players again, and I can see all the excitement in their eyes. It's just great to be back."

Like all hockey teams in Alberta, they lost two seasons. That's especially unfortunate for the players who have aged out.

"They lost two seasons, which is horrible because it's the group that's been with us since day one. I'm really disappointed for them when they didn't get the playoffs one year when we were on a roll and looking to win, and then last year we were looking good before we got shut down."

He says they will continue to have most of their 1999 players back, although some have commitments elsewhere, like stellar forward Faith Gette, who will be attending the University of Alberta.

"It will be a little different, but the girls have been around for a few years that are coming back, so there will still be that continuity."

Several Cochrane players participated in the training session. He says some of those are destined to play post-secondary hockey, and may not play junior. But for those who are interested, there will be the opportunity to become a Chaos.

"For the girls that are going up and playing elite programs and playing in the triple, they're certainly going to compete for spots here, and I look forward to putting a lot of them on the team once they're ready."