The Richmond Ravens head to Vancouver Island this weekend looking to continue their dynasty in Midget “A” girls hockey.
The defending champions are seeking their fifth title in six years when B.C. Hockey’s provincial championships gets underway on Sunday in Parksville. It also marks the 10th consecutive season head coach AJ Sander has guided a Richmond team to the showcase event and this time it was hardly a certainty.
Only two teams from Pacific Coast Amateur could advance and the Ravens were in a tight battle all season with Surrey and Vancouver. In the end, they locked up a spot with a 4-1 win over Vancouver — their only win in the three-team home-and-home playoff format.
Richmond would go on to be edged 2-1 by Surrey in the PCAHA playoff final. Both rivals depart for the Island with PCAHA banners after a late surge gave the Ravens regular season honours with a 9-4-2 record — two points better than Surrey and three ahead of Vancouver.
“They have been our nemesis all year,” said Sander. “We lost to them 4-1 in our final round-robin (playoff) game but that came two days after clinching a spot in provincials so there was definitely a letdown.
“The final was an unusual game where we ended up with 22 minutes in penalties (11 minors) and they had seven consecutive power plays with a couple of goals. There were some real bizarre calls.”
The rivalry goes back to last season when the Ravens pulled out a dramatic 4-3 overtime win in the provincial semi-finals. Another chapter next week isn’t even a certainty.
They are in opposite pools with Richmond grouped with Fort St. John, North Island and Kamloops. The other side also features Williams Lake, South Island and Kelowna. Two from each group advance to the semi-finals.
The Ravens roster features a mix of 10 third-year players, three second-years and six rookies.
They include: goalies — Shannon Wilson and Alicia Narain; defensemen: Samantha Gazley (captain), Montana Lewis (assistant), Kiana Tsui (assistant), Leigh Bourque (assistant), Erika Palmiera, Aishreet Sander; forwards: Jenna Proulx, Lauren Howlett, Justin Goobers (assistant), Megan Wilson, Hannah Shihundu, Mahara Gibson-Zeinoun, Melissa Phillips, Alexandra Strandt, Kyra Kuramoto, Ashli Forbes and Amanda Phillips.
