Team BC athletes are well into the competition in Red Deer at the Canada Winter Games, and two local Salmon Arm competitors have been doing their part to contribute to medal wins and progress up the rankings.
On the speed skating track, local skater Laura Hall helped push the team to a bronze medal – securing Team BC’s first medal of the games in the process.
The medal came from the female team pursuit event, a relay race involving four skaters. Hall was joined by fellow skaters Yuna Lovell, Amanda Mitchell and Brooke Braun, and the team beat out the competition from Manitoba by less than half of a second. Just ahead of Team BC’s time, Alberta claimed silver and Quebec won gold.
Hall also ended placing fifth in the 10-lap mass start race, just shy of the podium.
Read More: Salmon Arm ringette player prepares to set out for Canada Winter Games
On the ringette front, Salmon Arm ringette player Courtney Bacon has taken on the role of a forward with the Team BC ringette squad. The team has played four qualifying matches and one playoff match so far in the Canada Winter Games, with their record overall an even split of two wins and two losses in qualifiers and a win in the playoffs.
(Team BC video)
In their first match of the Canada Winter Games, against top-ranked Ontario, Team B.C. took a 6-3 loss. In their next game against Prince Edward Island, the B.C. squad claimed a 9-3 victory, with Bacon credited as assisting on two goals. Against Quebec, B.C. fell in a 7-3 upset. Against Saskatchewan in their final qualifying game, B.C. won 6-4 and Bacon claimed another assist during the game.
In their first round of the playoffs, Team BC was victorious in a close 4-3 contest, and during the game Bacon was credited with another assist on a goal.
Read More: Here’s what B.C. is wearing to the 2019 Canada Winter Games
The next playoff game for Team BC’s ringette squad kicked off at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 21, against Team Ontario. The match ended in an 8-1 upset in favour of Ontario, sending the B.C. team into the placement matches fighting for the bronze medal spot with Manitoba, while Ontario went to face Quebec for the gold-medal game.
In the placement match against Manitoba, Team BC played hard and made it a close game but fell to their prairie opponents in a 6-4 finish to claim fourth place overall in the ringette competition. This fourth place finish is the highest placement Team BC has made in the ringette event since 2003, when the team claimed the bronze medal on the podium.
Week one comes to an end with outstanding performances for Team BC. With 28 medals, Team BC sits in fourth place in the medal count, 14 behind Alberta and 16 behind Ontario. Quebec leads the medal standings with 85 medals.
“What spectacular performances we’ve had this week,” said Team BC Chef de Mission Jennifer Scott. “We want to continue to build on the momentum of week one and create an atmosphere that produces more podium performances in week two.”
Updates on Salmon Arm athletes competing with Team BC at the Canada Winter Games will keep coming as results are released. You can follow along yourself by visiting www.CanadaGames.ca, and clicking on the schedule and results tab.
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