Paula (Jessalyn Gilsig) is a single mother of a young son, fresh from an extremely painful divorce. She barely makes enough money to cover her bills in a small town in Alberta, Canada, and she may be seeking a buyer for her home. But, as for men, she has no use for them anymore. That is, until the day she visits a local watering hole and gets a challenge she can't resist. You see, Paula was once a fine female hockey player and she came close to making the Olympic team. But, the men's team of the area can't resist making fun of her and they ask if she would be willing to risk money on a female team, of her choice, in a future hockey match against the boys. Against all reason, she says yes. While getting her gals assembled, Paula meets a local man (Jason Priestley) who may be able to turn the key of her chastity belt. But, its hockey first. Can Paula win the slapshot battle of the sexes? This is a cute little romcom, nothing spectacular, but quite a pleasant couple of hours. Obviously, its a Canadian film with stars unfamiliar to most, except for Priestley. Nevertheless, they all charm the audience. Settings, costumes, story and direction are only slightly above average but the film still succeeds for those ever-thirsty romantic comedy fans. If you are one of those, like me, try to get your hands on this one. You may have to look for it under the title Hockey Mom, however, for its American distributors have chosen a new name. What a shame, Chicks with Sticks has such possibilities!
