Team BC wins bronze in National Women’s Under-18 Championship finals

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Hockey Canada National Women’s Under-18 Championship concluded with Team BC securing a bronze medal after a 3-1 victory against Team Alberta in the finals on Saturday.

They advanced to the finals after a 5-3 win over Team Saskatchewan on Thursday but faced a setback with a 7-3 loss to Team Quebec on Friday.

Meanwhile, Team Ontario Red was named gold-medal champions after triumphing over Team Quebec in an intense overtime battle with a final score of 3-2.

Tumbler Ridge forward Makena Lloyd-Howe, the only Peace region athlete on Team BC’s roster, says she is grateful for her overall first-time experience at the championship.

“It’s such a memorable experience. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls or staff or anything — they were all so great,” said Lloyd-Howe.

“Even the people behind the scenes here, the kitchen staff and everyone who made our meals, they just helped so much and made it such a great experience.”

Lloyd-Howe finished the championship with a total of two goals and five assists. 

Up next for LLoyd-Howe, she hopes to represent Team BC again next year or “take the next step” and play for Team Canada’s under-18 women. 

Aside from the bronze-medal win, Team BC head coach Amy de Bree says a highlight of the tournament was seeing the team’s gameplay and on-ice confidence improve throughout the championship.

“For these girls, this is probably the biggest stage most of them have ever played on,” said de Bree. 

“So, just taking away from that the confidence in their ability to play at that top-level, and hopefully, they can bring that back to their club level and start to lead within their own groups,” said de Bree.

The Hockey Canada National Women’s Under-18 Championship took place in the Dawson Creek Ovintiv Events Centre from November 5th to 11th. The event has been approximately four years in the making and was supposed to take place two years ago but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober says hosting the championship was a “win” for the entire Peace region. 

“Our neighbours, Pouce Coupe, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, Saulteau First Nation, and West Moberly First Nations have been a big part of this event,” said Dober.

“It’s a win for the economy in a lot of ways. It brings a lot of people to the community.”

Dober says the most important part of the championship is the lasting impact it will have on the youth who were involved and the youth who attended. 

“It’s a win for our youth. You see these kids [at the championship] from all over the region being inspired by these athletes and excited, and that’s what it’s all about. At the end of the day, there is an economic benefit, but it’s really about those youth. That’s where our win is because they’re our future.”

Statistics and highlights from the National Women’s Under-18 Championship can be found on Hockey Canada’s website.