They are a team that was built to last and the Richmond Ravens did just that - all the way to the top of B.C. Midget girls hockey.
The Ravens capped an amazing season by capturing their first-ever provincial championship with a dominating performance last week in Salmon Arm.
Richmond rolled off seven straight victories, capped by a 6-1 win over Kelowna in the gold medal game. If that wasn't enough, the girls raced home to participate in their own Ice Breaker Classic and dug deep to win their third tournament of the season in as many tries.
When all was said and done, the Ravens finished the 2011-12 campaign with a sparkling 52-1-5 record, that included 22 straight victories to the finish line.
Having been runner-up at the past three provincial tourneys, head coach AJ Sander knew something had to change for his team to breakthrough and it started with tryouts back in September.
Sander decided to carry a bigger roster - electing to go with nine forwards and seven defencemen - knowing full well the compact schedule at the provincials can take its toll on teams with a short bench. He even added a Bantam call-up for good measure.
The move paid off big time as Richmond comfortably rolled over three lines and three defensive pairings, while relying on its uptempo transition game to overwhelm its opponents.
"We just have a lot more depth this year," said Sander. "Last year, we had a short bench and you could just see the girls had run out of gas by the end, especially the top end players that you are constantly rolling over.
"We are fast skating team and everyone was having a tough time keeping up with our pace."
Making the feat even more impressive is Richmond carrying a whopping 11 15-yearolds meaning they have two more years of eligibility at the Midget level.
The Ravens opened with a 17-1 romp over Whitehorse then got a pair of goals from Leah Lum and singles from Rachel Coulson and Hannah Coates in a 4-1 win over Kelowna.
The girls then had another tight battle with Windermere Valley, getting goals from Jenny Tsai, Evelyn Lum and Tam in a 3-1 victory.
Next, was a battle with host Salmon Arm in a game that was a rematch of the provincial final four years ago in the very same rink. It would be a different outcome this time as Richmond fired 50 shots and got goals from Jasmine Manhas, Lum and Tsai in a 3-0 win.
The Ravens then took care of Lower Mainland rival Surrey 5-2, led by a pair from Lum. An 8-1 win over Vancouver Island followed, paced by a hat trick from Emily Costales.
The championship game saw Richmond actually trail 1-0 before Sabrina Shigeoka, put her team on even terms. She would later add another as the girls dominated the rest of the way.
The provincial banner is the first in 30 years of coaching minor hockey in Richmond for Sander. The majority of his career was coaching boys with Richmond Minor before being convinced by then Ravens president John Korenic to take on team.
"To be honest, it's more rewarding coaching girls," he said. "They just want to be treated like hockey players and we run this like it's a junior team where we are asking for a significant commitment. It has been a wonderful experience."
The Ravens roster also includes: goalies - Marina Reynolds ans Kasey Schell; skaters - Sabrina May (captain), Brnely Ross, Alisha Wong, Alison Brown, Tamara Wong, Alison Brown, Misa Luding, Jenny Wilson, Rhianna Baker and Evelyn Tran.
The coaching staff also features: Christian Matheson (associate coach), Tanner Mpromoto (goalie coach) and assistants Richard Ho and Andy Sander.
