The Fraser Valley Phantom midget AAA girls’ hockey team fell two games to none in its three-game series with the Edmonton Thunder last weekend at the Pacific Region Showdown in Surrey.
The Phantom, which plays home games at Pitt Meadows Arena, lost 3-2 in Game 1 on Friday, then 3-1 in Game 2 on Saturday.
With the series win, the Edmonton Thunder earn the right to play in the Canadian national midget girls’ championship in Prince Edward Island later this month.
It was the fourth Pacific Region title in a row for the Thunder.
The Phantom finish the regular season with a 24-2-2 record in the B.C. midget AAA girls’ league, and won its first provincial championship last month with a 6-1 win over the Thompson-Okanagan Rockets in the league final.
“We had a really strong core group of players who played well for us all season long,” said coach Dean Reed.
Two key members of the team are Maple Ridge’s Madison Sands and Payge Pena.
Pena, a forward, had 20 points this season for Phantom, while Sands had 11 points on defence. Both players we named league all-stars.
Sands was knocked out of the playoff series against the Thunder in the first period of Game 1 by an accidental hit from behind.
“That definitely affected us,” said Reed.
“She’s one of our best defencemen.”
The Fraser Valley Phantom are currently gearing up for spring league action, as well as a college showcase in June, featuring coaches from some of the top NCAA women’s hockey programs in the U.S.
• For more information, visit phantoms.goalline.ca/
