Hockey players 'so prepared' to represent Nova Scotia at Olympics

Asthe only Nova Scotianscompeting at the2018 Olympic Winter Games next month, twohockey players say they are"star-struck," but "more than prepared" to hit the ice for Canada.

"I still feel pretty star-struck when I see some of the Olympic athletes walking around so I can only imagine what it's going to be like when I am walking around the Olympic Village," said BlayreTurnbull, 24, of Stellarton, N.S.

"We're so prepared. We've been prepared for the Olympics since August. A lot of us have been training out here in Calgary. We're more than prepared and we're ready to go."

'Extremely surreal'

Speaking to CBC News at Six, Turnbull and her teammate Jillian Saulnier, 25, of Halifax, said they are still trying to digest the news that they would be playing for Canada at the Games in South Korea.

"We're just trying to let it soak in," Saulnier said.

"It was extremely surreal. Walking into the coach's office and then finding out that I would be competing in my first Olympic Games. It was the most exciting day of my life, a day that I will remember forever," Turnbull said.

The women are both forwards who currently play together with theCalgaryInferno of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. They were training this week in Calgary with the other players who make up the 23-member team. The women, including 2014 OlympianMarie-Philip Poulin, will be tasked with the challenge of trying to win a fifth straight gold medal in February at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

'Nothing is out of reach'

"When we were younger, there wasn't a lot of girls who played hockey in Nova Scotia so we left home, jumped around place to place to get ourselves in the best positionto make this dream a reality," Saulnier said.

Turnbull saidit's been great to be in the same environment as the other athletes, to watch how hard they work.

"Nothing is out of reach. Jill and I are perfect examples of that. We both grew up in Nova ScotiaJill in Halifax, me inStellarton. If your dream is to play in the Olympics or if your dream is to be a doctor or a lawyer, if you want it bad enough, you can do it. "

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games will run from Feb. 9 toFeb. 25.