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By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Hailey Browne has no problem setting lofty goals for herself, on or off the ice. The 17-year-old has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal for Canada and took her first step toward that goal by earning an invitation to the tryouts for the national under-18 team. Should she be successful in landing a spot on the team, she will compete at the World Womens Under-18 Hockey Championships next month in Stockholm, Sweden. Just to put on that jersey with the maple leaf would be an amazing moment, Browne said. Its the first step towards the Olympics. And yet, winning Olympic gold may seem easy compared to her post-playing career goal of becoming an NHL general manager. While seven of 12 WNBA teams have female general managers, mens pro sports have not been as welcoming. Kim Ng, the Los Angeles Dodgers vice presi- dent and assistant general manager for the past nine years, is the closest a woman has come to holding a GMs job. Browne, who will study English with a pre-law concentration at Mercyhurst College next year, says there have been positive steps for women in hockey, from Cassie Campbell joining Hockey Night in Canada to female players being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The womens game, the way it is devel- oping, people are recognizing it more, Browne said. I think a (female) GM is a possibility in the future. For now, though, Browne has more than enough hap- pening on the ice to occupy her time. In addition to the under-18 tryouts later this month, Browne will also represent Ontario at the Canada Games in Halifax in February. She is also averag- ing more than a point a game for the Provincial Womens Hockey Leagues Mississauga Jr. Chiefs, who are a perfect 21-0-0 this season. Though the 31 players invited to the national team camp includes 22 players who represented Canada in a three-game series against the U.S. in the summer, Browne doesnt consider herself at a disad- vantage. (Canada) ended up losing all three games so they may want to shake things up, the Appleby College student said. That may work to my advantage. Shaking things up is what Browne enjoys doing on the ice. Though her speed sets her apart, she says it is what she does with that speed that gives her an advan- tage. Speed definitely helps me get into the open but Im pretty aggressive, too. There are players that have talent but they dont have that extra drive to get to the loose pucks, to get to the rebounds. Browne contributed those skills to Appleby Colleges back-to-back Ontario titles and last season scored the winning goal in the semifinal of the North American Prep Hockey League and set up an insurance goal in the final as Blue Dogs won the title. Mississauga coach Jerry Turi said Browne has earned her shot at the nation- al squad. Its a compliment to her that she was- nt on the (national team) radar at this time last year, he said. She has tremen- dous speed and she works very hard. Shes a very coachable young lady. You ask her to go through the end boards and she will. Turi said where Browne has made her biggest gains is playing with her head up and better utilizing her linemates. After leading the Hamilton Hawks in scoring last year, Browne went to Mississaugas tryouts this year. What we liked is that shes a high- energy player that would complement the players we had, Turi said. She has a nice shot and she attacks the net hard. Browne hopes those are attributes Canada will be looking for when it assem- bles its team for the worlds. She believes she can be one of the character players that successful teams need one of those players the Toronto Maple Leafs fan might find herself looking for one day. Ive got a room full of Leafs stuff, Browne said. Hopefully theyll bring home a Stanley Cup soon. And if not, they just may be ready for a new GM by the time she finishes school. SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 201018 LOFTY GOALS: Hailey Browne takes a break from practicing on the outdoor rink in the back yard of her familys home. The 17-year-old Appleby College student, who was recently invited to tryouts for the national womens under-18 team, hopes to eventually play for Canada at the Olympics as well as become the first female general manager in National Hockey League history. Teen aiming high, both on and off the ice MICHELLE SIU / OAKVILLE BEAVER I think a (female general manager in the NHL) is a possibility in the future. Hailey Browne Hailey Brownes goals include Olympic gold and being an NHL GM