The U19 ringette nationals turned out to be a learning experience for a very young northern B.C. team.
“Our girls, they’re learning and they played very well,” assistant coach, Melinda Wilson, said.
The team’s two and six record tells a misleading story for the tournament. Struggling against unknown refs and
different gameplay the girls kept in each game, only letting one game run away from them Wilson said.
The northern girls played a mix of teams, from their counterparts here in B.C. to teams from Quebec, though not as diverse a group in years past because of the new set up of the tournament.
In the end though, it was
the other B.C. team that knocked the Northerners out of contention. Both teams were fighting to stay alive in the tournament in the mini game, which ended going into OT.
“We ended up losing in sudden death to the other B.C. team and went on to the consolation round,” Wilson said.
The team had problems with the different style of play on the national stage.
Of particular problem to the team were the refs, many
of whom came from out east and were a
bit of a mystery to the team Wilson said.
The refs were stricter than the team was used to and
as a result the girls had problems with penalties and spent too much time in the
box, costing them points
and, in some cases, games.
“We played one whole period three on five. That was when we lost,” Wilson said.
The refs weren’t the only change though, the teams from the east played a different game from which the girls were accustomed. The teams played a different game from offense to defense, which took some getting used to for the young team who had a difficult time getting out of their B.C. style rut.
The more experienced teams from out east, however had the experience to change on the fly to deal with regional differences.
“You could see it in the game,” Wilson said.
“They would watch and within a couple minutes they would switch up their style. And if we figured them out, like their defence, they would switch it up again,” said Wilson.
The youth of the team means this will be the first of many chances at the nationals.
Of the sixteen girls who went to Burnaby, seven were eligible to skate in the younger, U16 league, while it was the first year of U19 eligibility for six of the girls.
These girls were competing against girls quite a few years older.
The majority of the other teams were competing with grade 12 girls, usually the second year of eligibility for U19, or even first-year university age girls, the final year of eligibility Wilson said.
The lack of experience wasn’t just age–related, the northern B.C. team had a hard time practicing together as a team, and played few games as a team. The team drew players from all over northwestern B.C. which created a hurdle for the team to jump every time they wanted to practice.
“You can’t get together for a practice,” a mother of one of the players, Lorrie Newman, said.
Though most of the girls on the team are from Quesnel and Prince George, players from as far away as Terrace and Houston are also on the team.
They are planning to start summer training this year in Prince George Wilson said.
With hard work over the summer and a little more bonding next year is looking good for the team.
