sports@mapleridgenews.com
A Maple Ridge woman has been named to the female under-18 Team B.C. hockey squad coaching staff for the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
Jennifer Gilligan has the title aboriginal apprentice coach for the squad. The head coach will be Delaney Collins.
B.C. Hockey has announced the 26 players named to Team B.C.’s short list for the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Team B.C. will hold a preparation camp Dec. 20-23, in Penticton, and the final roster will be announced at the conclusion of the camp. The women will then compete at the Canada Winter Games from Feb. 23 to March 3, 2019 in Red Deer, Alberta.
Gilligan was the starting goaltender at Syracuse University for two consecutive seasons, where she won two championships, and also played at the University of New Hampshire for two season.
She was herself a Team B.C. player, playing in the national championships in Surrey in 2009.
She has been a goaltending coach for hockey schools for a decade, including the prestigious Delta Hockey Academy, and has also worked with the Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League.
The players invited to the camp were selected based on their performance at the 2018 female under-18 provincial camp held in August in Shawnigan Lake, and in-season evaluations.
“We are excited to announce the 26 players selected to continue the process for Team B.C.,” said female Program of Excellence (POE) Coordinator Whitney Juszkiewicz. “Every year the skill and competition for Team B.C. has improved, which is a testament to female hockey in BC and the Yukon.”
B.C. Hockey’s Female POE was established to identify and train athletes and team personnel for possible participation at provincial, national and international events.
B.C. Hockey’s female under-18 level is the third and final stage of the POE and is an opportunity for the top players in B.C. and the Yukon to train and compete at an elite level and is meant to introduce players to the beginning of the Hockey Canada POE.
