Richmond's Jodi Gentile has helped the Fraser Valley Phantoms of the B.C. Female Midget AAA Hockey League advance to this weekend's Pacific Regional Final where they will face the Alberta champions with a berth into the nationals at stake.
Gentile, a product of the Richmond Ravens Girls Hockey Association, is one of eight rookies in the Phantoms line-up. The team has enjoyed an amazing season, rolling through league play with a 24-2-2 record, then outlasting Kelowna in the best-ofthree provincial final, winning the deciding game 6-1.
The Phantoms have been fortunate to benefit from experienced and dedicated coaching - led by head coach Dean Reed and assistant Shay Bywater who exposed the players to higher level hockey by playing exhibition games against OHA, Warner and others.
Warner is one of the top teams in the Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL), having finished tied for second place.
The Phantoms enjoyed two close and hard-fought games back in October, making a 16 hour bus ride to take on the Alberta powerhouse. The trip also saw Fraser Valley roll to a 7-1 win over the Banff Hockey Academy.
Despite a serious ankle in late November, Gentile still managed to participate at the Notre Dame Tournament in Saskatchewan, thanks to the physio help at LifeMark, located at the Richmond Oval. The team then swept the Super League Weekend held at the Langley Events Centre and Gentile was one of several Phantom players chosen to play in the league all-star game.
The Grade 10 honour roll student at McNair secondary started playing on boys teams with Richmond Minor when she was six.
Her last season with the association saw her A2 team reach the Final Four playoff tournament. Gentile then joined the Ravens where she was immediately aged up and spent three seasons playing at the Bantam rep level. Last season, she had a leading role in the Ravens reaching the provincial championship game.
Not only is Gentile dedicated to her sport and school academics, she is also active in her community. She has volunteered at the Hamilton Community Centre since she was 11 and two years ago won the Teen Volunteer Award. She is a member of the student council at McNair and had a part in the school production Alice in Wonderland last spring.
This past weekend, she attended tryouts for the provincial U18 team.
The Pacific Regional Final will take place in Langley with the winner advancing to the Esso Cup national championships in PEI, starting April 22.
