In a fitting end to a remarkable season, the Surrey Falcons defeated the North Shore Avalanche 5-1 last Thursday (March 20) in the final of the B.C. Hockey Female Bantam A championship.
The Falcons were up 2-0 after the first period in Fort St. John, and built on that lead with two more goals in the second and one in the third.
Mya Taylor and Danika Pasqua each scored twice, while linemate Jessie Sanghe had a goal and two assists. Emily Duchak added two assists, and Chelsea Humphreys had one. Rosetta Maggio was a standout in net.
North Shore and Surrey had battled throughout the year, with the Avalanche edged the Falcons in the final of the Wickfest tournament in Calgary in November and the Falcons topping North Shore in a shootout in the final of the Superheart tournament in Surrey in February.
The Falcons were second to North Shore in both league play and in the Pacific Coast playoffs, only to come out on top at the provincial championship.
“The girls were determined throughout the week to come out on top,” said assistant coach Boyd Stoppler. “Everyone contributed and put the team first. They refused to be denied of the championship. It’s a very special group.”
Playing without Mackenzie Brown, sidelined with a broken collarbone, Surrey was perfect all week.
The Falcons opened the provincials Sunday with a 5-1 win over South Island. Emma Hall had two goals and an assist for Surrey. Taylor also scored twice. Alicia Perez had the other goal. Beverly Lynch earned the win in net.
The Falcons then defeated North Shore 4-3 Monday morning. Priya Sidhu, Humphreys, Sanghe and Hall scored. Priya Dhaliwal and Perez had assists.
That night, Surrey downed host team Clearview 8-0. Riley Alexander had a hat trick for Surrey. Taylor scored twice. Emily La Roue, Hall and Sanghe also scored. Lynch recorded the shutout.
The Falcons defeated Williams Lake 6-2 on Tuesday. Nicola Murray recorded two goals and an assist for Surrey, while Pasqua had a goal and three helpers. La Roue, Sanghe and Perez also scored.
Surrey remained undefeated at the provincials with a 4-3 win over Castlegar on Wednesday, securing a berth in the championship final. Hall scored twice. Pasqua also scored, while Tessa Younger drilled home the winner from the point. Team captain Sophia Christopherson had two assists in the game, as did Perez.
Surrey cruised to a 5-0 win over Kamloops in the morning Thursday. North Shore, as the top seed and Lower Mainland playoff champion, did not have to play another game that day.
Sidhu had a goal and two assists against Kamloops. Pasqua scored twice. La Roue and Alexander also scored, while Lynch recorded her second shutout. Sadie Stoppler returned from injured and picked up an assist.
– The host Surrey Falcons placed third at the Female Pee Wee A provincial tournament at the Surrey Sports and Leisure Centre. The Falcons went 4-2-0 (won-lost-tied), their only losses to the Richmond Ravens and North Shore Avalanche, the two teams which advanced to the final.
– The Falcons also had a team in the Female Midget A provincial tournament. They went 2-4-0 to place sixth at the seven-team competition in Salmon Arm.
– North Delta went 3-2-0 at the Midget Tier 3 championship in 100 Mile House to tie for second place in their group only to be eliminated on a tiebreaker. At the Midget Tier 4 provincial tournament in Clearwater, the Surrey Storm tied for fifth place after going 0-4-1.
– North Delta placed second at the Juvenile provincial tournament in Richmond. After going a perfect 5-0-0 in the six-team tournament during the round robin, North Delta fell 6-1 to Richmond in the championship game.
