The defending provincial champion Richmond Ravens Midget A girls hockey team is off to an outstanding start this season with a pair of tournament wins in dramatic fashion.
After needing overtime to capture an event in Kelowna back in October, the Ravens headed further east to capture the 15th annual Whitby Tournament of Heroes in Ontario.
In an all-Ravens final against Waterloo, Holly Gill scored with just 40 second remaining in overtime to give Richmond a 4-3 victory.
Jasmine Manhas picked up a pass from Tamara Wong in the corner and found a wide open Gill in front of the net. It was her fifth goal of the tournament and second of the game.
Leah Lum and Evelyn Tran scored the other goals.
Richmond got a big eye opener in its opening game against the Ottawa Ice.
Facing the top team from Ontario and the pre-tournament favourite, the Ravens were up against a fast and relentless opponent. Goaltender Marina Reynolds stood tall in net, stopping 31 shots while power play goals from Manhas and Gill salvaged a 2-2 tie. Wong assisted on both tallies.
Richmond then overcame a first period deficit in a 3-1 win over the Durham West Lightning. Gill put her team on even terms after two periods, setting the stage for Manhas and Lum to score in the third.
Reynolds earned the shutout in a 2-0 win over the Whitby Wolves, which clinched Richmond a playoff spot. Goals went to Brianna Trottier and Sabrina Shigeoka, both set-up by blueliner Brnley Ross.
A 2-0-1 record left the Ravens tied for top spot in their pool, however they were officially placed second to Ottawa based on the tiebreaker rule. They moved onto the quarter-finals and produced a 3-0 win over the Belleville Bobcats.
Reynolds recorded her second straight shutout. Marisa Chau, Manhas and Lum, shorthanded, had the goals.
The stage was set for a rematch with Ottawa and this time the locals were well-prepared for the semi-final tilt.
The Ravens fought hard in a wide open and fast paced game, pulling out a thrilling 3-1 win, with an empty net goal from Gill and others from Lum and Manhas, to advance to the final.
The team came together and played extremely hard through the entire tournament, said Ravens coach AJ Sander. Facing the strongest competition they have seen all year, the girls adjusted to the faster game and got stronger each game they played.
Reynolds was solid throughout the tournament and received strong support in front of her from Wong, Ross, Jadene Lim and rookie defencemen Trottier, Katie Lakusta, and Alicia Voss.
The line of Jenny Tsai, with third-year player Rachel Coulson and rookie Chau, played a strong forechecking and relentless backchecking game to help the defence. Tsai played hard while fighting off a skate bite injury.
Shigeoka, Manhas and Carey Orgzlo played strong physical games and netted timely goals to help the team.
Forward Kaitlyn Yan, who unfortunately had to miss the tournament, cheered the team on from home.
