The Canadian women’s hockey team has received the best wishes from an Okotoks girls’ team in their preparation for the Winter Olympics which start this weekend.

Team Canada mixes in with the Okotoks Atom A Oilers during a practice in Calgary in January.

In return the Okotoks players got some help from the favourites to win gold in Vancouver.

The Okotoks Atom A Oilers practised with the Canadian Women’s Olympic team in January at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary.

“I was really excited to meet the women’s national team — it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Oiler Kassy Betinol.

It was an experience that went beyond getting the autograph of the legendary Haley Wickenheiser or Carla MacLeod.

“We got to skate with them and had different sessions, plus we got to talk them,” Betinol said. “We got to meet Haley Wickenheiser.

“She told us to work hard and that maybe someday we can get to the Olympics.”

Although the Oilers go full out at every one of their practices, they saw that Olympians crank it up a few notches when they hit the ice.

“My first impression was that they skated really fast and how hard they work,” Halle Bodnarchuk said. “We work hard, but I was amazed at how fast they are.”

Both teams joined together for a rousing rendition of the Hockey Night In Canada theme — the true one, not the new one.

Oiler Janae Ramsay said meeting the national team will help the Oilers for the remainder of their own season.

“Just by hanging around with them you got to see their intensity and how much fun they have playing the game,” she said.

The Oilers presented a poster to the Olympic team wishing them good luck in Vancouver.

The poster consisted of pictures of each Oiler that Ramsay painstakingly cut and pasted on the piece of art.

The Oilers are confident they have presented their good luck poster to the 2010 Olympic gold medallists.

“I think they are going to win for sure,” Bodnarchuk said.

Canada’s first game of the Olympics is Saturday against the Slovakians, then Feb. 15 against Switzerland, and they conclude the preliminary round Feb. 17 against Sweden. For schedules and results see www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-hockey/

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