The Kootenays were well-represented at the 2013 Female U16 Cup held in Duncan last week.
Six teams were selected from the various zone camps held across B.C. at the beginning of January.
Two teams were chosen from the Lower Mainland (Green and Blue) and one team each from the North, Kootenay, Okanagan and Vancouver Island zones.
Fruitvale’s Kendra Waterstreet, and Rossland’s Madelain Vokeroth Fisher joined New Denver’s McRory Reese, Emilie teBulte of Castlegar, Emma Wheeldon and Merissa Dawson of Nelson, and Catalina Hartland of Kaslo as the West Kootenay Bantam Wildcats representatives on the 20-player roster.
“The U-16 was awesome,” said Bantam Wildcats team manager Lori Dawson in a text message. “Our Kootenay girls did really well.”
The Kootenay team lost their opening match against eventual champions the North, who scored an empty netter to make it 3-1.
They dropped their next game to Vancouver Island 6-0, before bouncing back against the Okanagan.
In what Dawson describes as a “thrilling” match, the Kootenay team was outshot, but goaltender Hartland braved the onslaught, keeping the team in the game.
“Catalina Hartland was outstanding in net the past weekend,” said Dawson. “She turned some heads thats for sure. She was the talk in the stands amongst coaches, and scouts.”
After Merissa Dawson scored, the Kootenay side tied the game in the last six seconds with a goal from Tyler Carver and assisted by Lindsay Weech and Dawson.
Team Kootenay pulled the goalie in the final seconds on a power play to try to end it, but the game went to a shoot out. Lindsay Weech, Tyler Carver and Kennedy Sterzer each scored in the shoot out to clinch the win for Kootenay.
A victory in their next game against the Lower Mainland Green team would have seen them playing for first or second, but they lost a heart breaker in yet another shoot out.
The Kootenays dropped their final game against the Lower Mainland Blue team 5-1 to finish fourth in the event.
The North team defeated the Lower Mainland Green squad 2-1 in the final to take top spot.
BC Hockey’s Female High Performance Program was established to identify and train athletes and team personnel for possible participation at provincial, national and international events.
The objective is to enhance the overall performance of B.C. athletes, coaches and officials in high level sporting events.