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Friday, February 27, 2026

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Kirkella’s Avery Frattinger is excited to be a two-sport post-secondary student-athlete.

The daughter of Terri and Trever Frattinger has committed to play hockey and volleyball at Dakota College at Bottineau. The North Dakota school’s volleyball team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II ranks, while the women’s hockey squad is in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division II.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and growth in a more competitive environment alongside other athletes that push themselves and make me want to improve my own game as well,” Frattinger said. “I’m also hoping to develop new skills for a faster, more intense pace of game. Continuing my hockey and volleyball journey feels like the next big step in building connections in a meaningful way and improving myself, not only as an athlete but as a teammate.”

Over the years, Frattinger has played a variety of sports. She appreciates her parents’ support of her various pursuits.

“I have tried almost every sport and activity I could find throughout my life and that is all thanks to my parents,” Frattinger said. “They both work so hard and still find time to show up for me in every way possible. They are my entire support system, my biggest cheerleaders, the best listeners, and the reason I’m where I am today. My parents have shown me that I am supported in anything I choose to pursue, but my success can only be determined by my own work ethic. I really got lucky when it comes to them and I am so grateful for that every day.”

She chose DCB for a variety of reasons. The junior college is about two hours from Elkhorn. It had a record enrollment of 1,242 students, including 621 full-time equivalents, in the fall of 2025.

“The ultimate factor for me was definitely just seeing the whole package,” Frattinger said. “I went for a tour and was offered to sign for both hockey and volleyball. On top of the chance to begin my psychology degree, it was really just a once in a lifetime opportunity. The smaller campus made it feel a little less scary to move away and my parents will get to watch me play sports for a couple more years close to home.”

She currently plays defence for the U18 Birtle Bruiskies hockey team.

This season Frattinger was fifth on the team in scoring with 11 points in 19 games. She was tied for the Bruiskies-lead in goals with nine.

“Avery is a fun kid,” Bruiskies head coach Aaron Ashcroft said. “She is very charismatic, and passionate on and off the ice. She typically plays defence, but can step up and easily fill a forward role, whenever needed. Her speed, agility, and determination has been a huge asset to her team.”

Frattinger’s favourite part of playing defence is “definitely how versatile I can be there.” She said, “I’m comfortable playing defence and protecting my goalies has always been a huge part of hockey for me. On the offensive side, I still like to rush the puck when the opportunity arises so I still feel as though I have a large ability to play both sides of the ice, which is important to my game.”

While Frattinger plans to take to the court at DCB, she was unable to play volleyball this past fall due to not having enough players to form a team. She did not play club volleyball this winter due to the season overlapping with hockey. Frattinger opted to coach the Elkhorn School Grade 7/8 girls team “to stay involved because I just couldn’t give up the sport. It was a great group of girls and they always helped me see volleyball from a fresh perspective as their coach.” She is looking forward to playing volleyball again.

“I love the energy that volleyball brings with how much of a battle every single point takes,” Frattinger said. “It’s a tough thing to describe because there’s not just one specific thing that I enjoy, it’s the entire atmosphere of the game that just draws me to it. Volleyball is almost as much mental as physical to me, which can make it a hard team sport. However, the challenges of trusting not only your teammates but yourself as well is what makes it special when everything comes together.”

Tyler Wood, who was one of her volleyball coaches in Elkhorn, said, “Avery is a very dedicated athlete; she leads by example on the court by her determination and hard work. Avery has a good and very consistent server and a good passer out of the back row. She has shown the ability to be able to play multiple positions on the court when needed.”

Frattinger signs to play two sports at DCB

By Robin Wark