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Rep Classic brings top teams to Olympic Oval

Richmond Ravens hosted 18-team tournament starts Friday with plenty of out-of-town flavour
hockey
Richmond Pee Wee Ravens tuned up for this weekend's Pacific Coast Female Rep Hockey Classic with a 3-2 league win over Surrey on Sunday.

Take the most successful girls association in the province and combine it with a world class venue. It’s no wonder the Pacific Coast Female Rep Hockey Classic has quickly evolved into one of the top tournaments in the region.
The fourth annual event, which gets underway on Friday, features six teams battling in the Midget, Bantam and Pee Wee Divisions. Half of them are coming from outside of Metro Vancouver. All but 10 of the games will take place at the Richmond Olympic Oval including the finals on Sunday.
The Ravens are coming off a banner 2015-16 campaign that saw two of their three rep teams capture provincial championships last spring.
Tony Lindsay is back in charge of the Bantam rep squad after take a one-year hiatus to guide his daughter’s Midget “C” team.
The veteran coach, who has enjoyed plenty of success in girls and boys hockey, led the Bantam Ravens to the B.C. title two seasons ago. He is also assisting the association in player development and helped out tournament director Christine Soon in recruiting for this year’s event — ensuring all three divisions are highly competitive.
His team’s schedule this weekend includes the St. Albert Raiders — currently ranked No. 1 in Alberta.
All 18 entries are guaranteed at least four games with three 20-minute stop time periods — the same format they will see at their respective provincial championships.
“It’s pulling in not only the top teams in B.C. but from elsewhere too,” said Lindsay. “The attraction is it being a good icebreaker tournament for this stage of the season to see exactly how their team stacks up against everyone else.
“Playing at the Olympic Oval is also a big draw. The out-of-town teams love it, as do the parents.”
Lindsay figures his team will not only be in championship contention this weekend but next March at provincials as well. His roster includes four players who have crossed over from Pee Wee boys rep hockey — a trend he is actually seeing less off in recent years thanks to growing opportunities for girls to develop their game.
“We have a lot of depth in our organization right now and I think that has a lot to do with with the skill development that is happening at our younger age levels,” added Lindsay. “We are seeing the benefits of that as the players get older with two clear (competitive) paths in our association to take.”
The Pacific Coast Rep Classic will conclude Sunday with the Bantam (1:30 p.m.) and Midget (3:30 p.m.) finals on the Oval North Rink while Oval South Rink will host the Pee Wee championship game at 12:45 p.m.

Participating teams:
Pee Wee Division

Richmond Ravens, Tri-City Predators, North Shore Avalanche, South Island Royals, Kamloops Jr Blazers, Surrey Falcons.
Bantam Division
Richmond Ravens, Kelowna Rockets, St. Albert Raiders, South Island Royals, Tri-City Predators, Kamloops Junior Blazers.
Midget Division
Richmond Ravens, Williams Lake Timberwolves, Peace Country (Grand Praire) Storm, Kamloops Junior Blazers, South Island Royals, Vancouver Island Impact.