by Cambree Lovesy
Contributor, Black Press
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On Saturday, February 22, a hard fought match took place at the Mission Leisure Centre.
As a part of the 2014 BC Winter Games, two ambitious women’s hockey teams battled it out for a chance to play for the gold medal and, as soon as the game began, the Fraser River-Delta Lions took the lead and didn’t let the Thompson-Okanagan Heat get in the way of their victory.
Corina Lannard played an outstanding game, finishing with a hat trick.
Both teams battled throughout the entire game but it was the Lions’ leadership qualities and skills that helped them defeat the Heat by a score of 6-0.
“This game will be really competitive and close,” said Tiny Lindsay, head coach of the Fraser River-Delta Lions, before the game. “The other team is a bit stronger, but we’re going to give it our all.”
His team did just that. The whole squad came on the ice with fire, energy, and confidence, and brought that from the beginning of the game to the end. Coming in as underdogs, the Lions instead proved to everyone why they deserve to be champions.
The game began with a fundamental goal that started a streak of goals for the champs. With three minutes left in the game, the Lions had scored three goals while the Heat came up short of scoring. Outstanding work by their goalie paid off and was noticed by everyone when the opposing team approached the net to take a shot. The agility of both goalies displayed great skill. The Lions were quick on their feet and ready for any play that needed their assistance. Both teams demonstrated fantastic courage and bravery while doing what they love to do, with aspirations for a promising career in the sport.
During the second period, the game resumed at a bit of a slower pace. The score remained 3-0 until the third period, but all the girls gave incredible effort towards benefiting their team’s play. Both teams entered the final period fighting harder than ever.
This was their time to shine. It was now or never to capture the win.
The Heat had a lot of work to do to be able to match the goals of the Lions, but the leaders didn’t allow them to catch up.
Right out of the gate, the Lions scored their fourth goal and the Heat struggled to keep the puck out of their net. Star player Megan Lui proved her talent with outstanding plays when her team was on defence. She also put in the team’s fifth goal.
While the game continued, the Heat didn’t give up. The captain of the team, Molly Box demonstrated excellent leadership skills as the captain and kept her team trying their best. She always looked for an open place for her teammates to pass to her, and helped them work together as a team.
When the Heat pulled their goalie with two minutes left, the Lions scored their sixth and final goal. The game finished with a huge, well-deserved celebration of the Fraser River-Delta Lions.
The Heat were extremely great sports however, and the Lions displayed great sportsmanship towards their opponents.
After the game, the players and coaches were ecstatic about their unexpected win. Corina Lannard and her teammates were thrilled about Corina’s hat trick. After the game, she called itone of her “best personal achievements.”
The Fraser River-Delta Lions are now headed to the gold medal game, after an exhilarating, hard-fought semifinal.
*Cambree Lovesy is a student in Grade 9 at Robert Bateman Secondary School
