RINGETTE NEWS

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Ringette gold medal game
February 26, 2012
by Karen Slivar

The highly anticipated gold medal game in ringette between Fraser Valley and Fraser River Delta at the BC Winter Games didn't disappoint.

The fans turned up at the Vernon Civic Arena sporting team colours: blue pompoms for Fraser Valley and orange feather boas for Fraser River Delta.

The players took to the ice with much cheering from the stands. Just before game time Fraser Valley formed a tight huddle and did their own chant while swaying from side to side.

Then the whistle blew and the game began. Jerseys billowing behind them, the players set a blistering pace as they raced across the ice in this evenly matched game.

Hooking, body contact, unsportsmanlike conduct, the teams traded places in the penalty box. Halfway through the first period Fraser Valley scored a goal. More penalties. Finally, Fraser River Delta answered the goal with less than 30 seconds left on the clock to end the period in a 1-1 tie.

In the second period Fraser River Delta scored a goal to take the lead 1-2. Anxious to answer the goal Fraser Valley got frisky and received three penalties in a row, which cost them another goal.

Trailing by two goals, Fraser Valley narrowed the gap with a goal at 8:44 left in the period making the score 2-3 for Fraser River Delta. In the last six seconds of play Fraser Valley got the ring. Fans were on their feet holding their breath.

"It was intense," says Monica Salt, Fraser River Delta co-captain. In the round robin Fraser Valley and Fraser River Delta tied. "We have friends on the other team."

The Games were like a "mini Olympics," says Arisa Cadeau, Fraser River Delta co-captain.

Fraser River Delta won the gold by a 3-2 score, leaving Fraser Valley with the silver.

Ringette bronze medal game
February 26, 2012
by Karen Slivar

"We wear red because we're hot hot hot," shouted Thompson-Okanagan fans who came out in full force to catch the bronze medal game against Fraser Valley Replacements in ringette at the 2012 BC Winter Games in Vernon.

The support must have helped as the team from the host zone won 8-1.

Early in the first period Thompson-Okanagan scored the first goal and kept right on going. The fans, dressed in red, cheered each goal. Fraser Valley Replacements scored late in the first period bringing the score to 5-1 for Thompson-Okanagan.

Fraser Valley Replacements had several opportunities in the second period with a two man advantage and then a penalty kill but were unable to capitalize.

Stephanie Saito of the Fraser Valley Replacements was in the stands cheering on her teammates in the finals after a soft-tissue upper back and neck injury sent her to hospital yesterday during a game, says coach Michelle MacRae.

In the second period Fraser Valley Replacements had several opportunities with a two man advantage and then a penalty shot but were unable to capitalize.

Thompson-Okanagan played a fast paced game and took home the bronze medal in ringette at the BC Winter Games on Sunday.

"It was a really good game," says Riley Pickrell, captain for Thompson-Okanagan.

Fraser Valley ringette team playing for gold
by Karen Slivar

Fraser Valley's ringette team played fast and hard to place first at the BC Winter Games, in Vernon.

"We knew we were a good team from the beginning," says Fraser Valley captain Bayley Bird from Port Coquitlam. The teens have been playing together as a team for the last five months. After two days of play at the Games they advance to the gold medal game after an impressive three wins over Vancouver-Sqaumish (9-2), Thompson-Okanagan (8-1) and North West (8-1), and tie with Fraser River Delta (2-2).

"I'm more excited than nervous," says Bird about the final game against Fraser River Delta. "It's going to be a close game."

Bird and her teammates have been enjoying the Games and taking in the other sports events between games cheering on the other athletes.

The gold medal game is at 10:30 Sunday at the Vernon Civic Arena

Cariboo North East places fifth in ringette
by Karen Slivar

Never quit attitude, Cariboo North East gave it their all in ringette at the 2012 BC Winter Games in Vernon this weekend.

"We thought we played really good," says Madison Landry from Prince George, one of Cariboo North East's captains.

"We came together really good as a team," says Jaime Bell from Quesnel, Cariboo North East's second captain. This was the group's first tournament playing together as a team. In fact, it's the highest level of competition they have ever played in.

The team's final match-up against Vancouver-Squamish was a nail biter. Cariboo North East led the scoring early in the game and was up 4-1 when Vancouver-Squamish started to fight back in the last seven minutes of the first period to make it 6-5 for Cariboo North East.

The second period started with a goal for Cariboo North East, but Vancouver-Squamish kept coming back from behind to tie the game 9-9 with less than two minutes of play left. The fans were noisy throughout the game but then they went berserk cheering and stomping their feet.

Penalties on both sides made for some four on four action in the dying minutes of play with Vancouver-Squamish scoring the winning goal in front of screaming fans.

Cariboo North East finished the Games with a fifth place finish with one win over North West (8-1) and three losses to Fraser Valley Replacements (9-10), Fraser River Delta (3-8) and Vancouver Squamish (9-10).

Ringette Game 9 Thompson-Okanagan vs. Fraser Valley
by Karen Slivar


It was another exciting match-up in game nine of ringette at the BC Winter Games in Vernon.
Fraser Valley defeated Thompson-Okanagan 8-1 despite a fought hard contest.

"We needed the win," says Riley Pickrell, the 15 year-old West Kelowna resident who is captain for Thompson-Okanagan. The team won their first two games Friday against North West (7-0) and Vancouver-Squamish (6-3).

"I think our goalie (Kaylinn Bihari from Salmon Arm) had an awesome game," says Pickrell. In the first period, Bihari was busy defending the goal and after 20 minutes of play the score was 5-0 for Fraser Valley.

It looked like it was going to be a shutout until Thompson-Okanagan scored a goal with a little over six minutes left in the second period. The crowd went wild. The noise in the Vernon Civic Arena was deafening with the sounds of horns, noisemakers and cheers.

"We'll brush this game off and play harder for the next game," says Pickrell.

Fraser Valley has two wins and one tie.

 Fans Have Pompoms Out For Ringette Battle

By Karen Slivar

It was an all-Fraser battle in the BC Winter Games ringette tournament Saturday morning at the Vernon Civic Arena. Fans of the Fraser Valley Replacements were up early to cheer on their team with yellow pompoms. After the first period of play Fraser River Delta was in the lead with three goals. But Fraser Valley kept up the fight right till the end. "We fought hard," says Michelle Brady, captain of the Fraser Valley Replacements.

The final score was 7-0 for Fraser River Delta. It was the Fraser Valley team's first loss at the Games after wins over Cariboo North East (10-9) and North West (8-1) on Friday.

Brady says they'll need to work on receiving their passes before the next game against Thompson-Okanagan this afternoon.