Richmond Ravens Peewee C1 team wrapped up a terrific season by winning their division in the 20th Annual Ice Classic Female Hockey Tournament, held March 24-26 at the Richmond Ice Centre.
Preliminary round wins over Meadow Ridge, Campbell River and Yukon, along with a tie with Cowichan, set the stage for the championship game and a rematch against Campbell River.
Pre-tournament injuries to key players, such as goaltender Sophie Metz and forward Isabelle Chai, left the Ravens with a short bench. But the team dug deep and responded with a strong overall effort.
Tamara Dee opened the scoring midway through the first period, followed by two second period markers by Jenna So to stake the Ravens to a 3-0 lead.
From there, goaltender Jaena McGarrigle — aided by blueliners Kristina Doray, Makenna Kusec, Shayna Roper and Claire Pogor — closed the door the rest of the way for the shutout victory.
Forwards Sydney Neilson-Anderson, Katie Bollo, Ella May Dunn and Caeli Yamanaka also produced strong two-way play and the team only allowed 12 shots in the game.
The victory capped a successful season that saw the Ravens win the regular season league banner and two tournament titles.
“The girls played well as a team and had a great season both on and off the ice,” stated head coach Ryan Roper, who was joined on the bench by assistants Martin Bollo, Jennifer McGarrigle and Brian Yamanaka. Sonya Chai was the team manager.
