A Richmond U17 female ball hockey team won gold at the provincial championships this month.
The team, nicknamed Dandelions, is one of three U17 female division teams under the Richmond Ball Hockey Association.
They were undefeated as they competed their way through their zone with their final competition in the six-team provincial finals hosted by Ridge Meadows this weekend.
Richmond's Dandelions went up against Valley U17, comprised of players from Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack, in the championship game.
The first period started off intense, with Valley playing a close-checking and physical-style game and a four-minute power play for Richmond's Dandelions against the Valley's strong goaltender, according to Bob Basanti, co-coach of the Richmond U17 girls ball hockey team.
Richmond's Alexis Howitt scored in the early minutes of the second period, followed by another goal by Callie Waldref, with the team leading 2-0.
Ella Hillova scored a third goal in the final five minutes of the third period, followed by Emily Waldref scoring another two. The final score was 5-0 for Richmond.
Basanti told the Richmond News he couldn't think of a single time in his 16 years of coaching a variety of sports when he was ever associated with a team that went an entire season undefeated.
"Furthermore, (this was) a team in which every player contributed, played unselfishly, maintained a positive attitude through every practice and game, and was extremely coachable," said Basanti.
"From a coach's perspective, these traits go above and beyond wins and losses."
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