By Andrew Breaker
Maeanna Levac is from Siksika Nation, though she was born and raised in Calgary. Her parents are Chris Levac and Savannah Levac, and she has a younger brother, Lael Levac, who plays many of the same sports with the same organizations as Maeanna.
Maeanna’s maternal grandparents are Amie Melting Tallow and the late Casey Melting Tallow, as well as the late Deberlie Good Eagle and the late Clifford Sangwais. Her paternal grandparents are Ronald Levac and the late Anne Levac. Maeanna is currently 12 years old, turning 13 in February, and is in Grade 8.
She is a multi-sport athlete, playing hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball, and is also a Jingle Dress dancer. Maeanna loves dancing at powwows and chose the Jingle Dress at a young age because of the healing story behind it.
In hockey, Maeanna plays defence for the McKnight Mustangs U13-3 Black, a co-ed team where she is often the only girl. She is also one of the team’s assistant captains. Maeanna has played defence her entire hockey career and has earned many awards since she first started skating at the age of five.
For lacrosse, Maeanna plays with the Calgary Knights. In her first year, she won the U13 Canada Day Banner, competing against teams from around the world, including the Czech Republic, Denver, and Utah. She hopes to compete again in the Alberta Indigenous Games (AIG) this year. Last year marked her first AIG appearance, where her team made it to the gold medal game, ultimately earning silver.
Maeanna also plays volleyball for her school team, the Clarence Samson Scorpions. In her first game, she was placed as a server and scored five points, then later served again and scored another five, leading her team to victory 25–14. Her coaches praised her performance, saying they had never seen that happen before.
At the end of November, Maeanna competed in the McKnight U13 Round-Up Tournament, where her team won the bronze medal in a dramatic game against the Leduc Roughnecks. Maeanna also earned the Heart and Hustle Award.
In December, she played in the LMHA Memorial Classic in Leduc, a tournament fundraising for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. After a tough tournament, Maeanna won the final game in a shootout, scoring the winning goal with a backhand move. She earned MVP for that moment.
Following that tournament, Maeanna was invited to play in Los Alamos, New Mexico, with the New Mexico Girls Mustang Hockey Team. She earned another MVP award and a bronze medal, and the team gifted her the game puck as a keepsake. Maeanna and her family drove to New Mexico, and she was proud that family members from the U.S. were able to watch her play hockey for the first time.
Recently, Maeanna competed in Esso Minor Hockey Week, where her team lost their first game and had to win every game afterward to reach the finals. They advanced to the U13-3 North Division finals, narrowly losing with 40 seconds left in a tied game. Maeanna again earned the Heart and Hustle Award, and her team will receive a banner for being finalists.
“Being a part of a hockey team that has a hockey banner in the stands has always been one of my hockey buckets wishes to achieve, I’ll have to wait to see if and when this happens in the future.” Maeanna on being a part of a banner for the Esso Minor Hockey Week.
Her next tournament will be Cities (Adrenalin City Championship) in Calgary. This will be her final year with the McKnight Mustangs before moving to U15, where she plans to try out for the Calgary Fire (AA Girls Hockey) or play with the Calgary Jr. Inferno. She continues to train hard through skating treadmill sessions and strength training alongside high-level players
One of Maeanna’s biggest dreams is to play for Siksika at Treaties and Provincials. Although status requirements prevented her from playing for many years, she was able to compete last year with a band registration letter. She cherished her time with the U13 Siksika girls team, especially smudging before games and placing sage in their skates.
Maeanna hopes to represent Siksika again this year — alongside her brother Lael — and ultimately be scouted through hockey or lacrosse for post-secondary opportunities. She is also an A+ student, balancing academics with athletics.
“just keep your head high and never give up, in this sport you will without a doubt have a low point, but just keep going and believe in yourself that you have what it takes to get to whatever goal you want to accomplish, even myself have struggled with my sports mental health but i am overcoming that by knowing that i have what it takes, so keep pushing yourself and never doubt your full potential. So, take it from me you are an amazing hockey player and person in general so keep going and never stop trying to get to your full potential.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my story.”
Maeanna on giving motivation words to those who are playing hockey.
