You can follow the teams on the BC Hockey website or on the BC Hockey mobile app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices. Schedules, rosters and scores will be posted and updated daily.

Want to be featured in the next BC Hockey monthly newsletter? We are always looking to hear from you! Does your association have an upcoming event that the membership should know about? Or have you recently hosted an exciting event and want to tell us about it?

Enjoy!

TEAM BC AT THE CANADA WINTER GAMES

The Male U16 and Female U18 Team BC wrapped up their Canada Winter Games experience, both finishing with a sixth place finish. Both teams played with tremendous heart and hard work, showing the home crowd their passion and determination.

Jordan Bellerive lead the men's team scoring four (4) goals and picking up three (3) assists in six (6) games, followed by Justin Almeida (5 points) and James Malm (5 points). The guys finished the tournament with a 2-4 record.

TEAM BC ASSISTANT COACH HONOURED WITH HOMETOWN HERO BURSARY

The Yale University educated Sharun played hockey for 25 years and has coached for 15 years. She has a BA with a double major in History and Psychology, as well as a Secondary School Teaching Degree. Through coaching, she discovered a keen interest in sport psychology and intends to pursue her master's degree in this field. She also has aspirations to complete an Advanced Coaching Diploma through the National Coach Institute Program within the next five (5) years.

Click here for more information.

Every young hockey player dreams of skating with their NHL heroes. Jack Edwards from Summerland MHA shared that same dream, so when he was selected as one of the winners of the Every Kids Dream contest, and would get the chance to live out this dream, you can only imagine the excitement in the Edwards household.

After the fact sunk in that he was going to have the opportunity to live out this dream, he told his parents he wanted one of his best buds to have the chance instead of him. 

See, his teammate Brett has a serious illness, which has resulted in a lot of time over the past year at Vancouver Children's Hospital. Through massive doses of steroids and chemo, he has made it back to the ice with his team. A true hockey nut who eats, drinks and sleeps hockey is such a trooper!

So Jack and Brett traveled to Vancouver with their dads to watch Jack take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity to skate with the Canucks and watch the game after.

The friendship they created which started with hockey, goes way beyond just being teammates..... On this day they formed a bond and special friendship that goes way beyond the ice.

This is an experience the two boys and their families will never forget! 

Nic Ponak and Brice Sharp have quite a bit in common. Both have played on the Major Midget League Fraser Valley Thunderbirds for three (3) seasons. Both have a penchant for scoring. It's no wonder they're good friends.

This similarity led to a lofty goal. Before the start of this season, their final season with the TBirds', the guys aimed to reach a combined total of 200 points by the end of their midget league careers.

While they played with different minor hockey associations growing up (Ponak with Abbotsford and Sharp with Mission), they played spring hockey together in both Atom and Pee Wee. In their first MML season, Ponak was the TBirds' last release out of camp, and ended up playing 10 games as an affiliate. Sharp made the team, but was released eight (8) games into the season and later played another 10 games as an affiliate. They were often paired together on the line, where they combined for seven (7) points.

Both made the full squad their second season, and once again they were line mates. Ponak and Sharp each played 40 games, combining for 99 points (55 for Ponak, 44 for Sharp).

Prior to this past weekend, Ponak had played in 35 games, with a total of 44 points (19G, 25A) and Sharp had played in 34 games, recording 39 points (16G, 23A). This left the duo with a combined total of 189 career points, just 11 short of their goal.

They had just two (2) more regular season games remaining to hit the 200 mark, and they were taking on the South Island Royals in a series that had playoff seeding implications. While the team's success was first and foremost, Ponak and Shark definitely had those 11 points on their mind. In the first game, Ponak netted a goal and three (3) assists while Sharp picked up three (3) points, in the Thunderbirds 6-5 win. With seven (7) points in hand, they had to score just four (4) the following day. Although the Thunderbirds ultimately lost the next game, they guys were able to pick up the points thanks to two (2) goals from Ponak and three (3) assists from Sharp, registering a final total of 201 points!

Next, Ponak and Sharp will lead the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds against the Cariboo Cougars in the first round of the MML playoffs.

After this season, both will pursue the next level of hockey - Ponak has received interest from both the WHL and BCHL and Sharp is interested in moving on to the BCHL, after initially being unsure about his hockey future. "This time last year, I though I had played my last hockey game," said Sharp. "This season has been so successful. I'm looking forward to playing more." 

While the players may joke that they are a "package deal," it would definitely be in the interest of a future team to pick up both of them. Who knows what goals they'll set at the next level!

The Chetwynd Midget Giants played an old fashioned Canadian game of pond hockey "Heritage Classic" style on an outdoor rink in Peace River, Alberta.

The game led the Giants to a 5 - 3 victory over Peace River Midget Rep in the All Peace Hockey League Midget Tier 1 Division.

We received so many AWESOME entries of minor hockey teams showing us their love and pride for the Vancouver Canucks! There were scripted videos, a poem, songs, posterboards, combinations of these and many more! 

In the end, there could only be one winner and that was the West Kelowna Red Dragons!

The team attended the game on March 1, 2015 as Vancouver beat the St. Louis Blues in a shootout; what an exciting game! The team also had a special visit from Canucks alum Kirk McLean!

BC Hockey helped celebrate Hockey Day in Canada with the South Delta Minor Hockey Association. Ladner Leisure Centre was selected as the site for the west coast broadcast of the event on SportsNet, so South Delta put on a party to celebrate.

BC Hockey was part of the 'tradeshow,' handing out stickers and promoting the mobile app. There was a free pancake breakfast, ball hockey 'Try-It' events, concerts, an appearance from the always popular Canucks mascot, Fin, appearances and autograph sessions from Kirk MacLean and other Canucks alumni and a live SportsNet broadcast from Ladner Leisure Centre. 

There were also hockey games through out the day, from Initiation H2 to female to Midget A1. The day finished with a charity game between the Delta police and the Vancouver Canucks Alumni Team.

Click here to check out pictures from the day!

Ana Peasgood is a busy hockey mom. Between practices and games for her three (3) kids, Peasgood spends a lot of time in the stands at the Chetwynd District Recreation Centre.

"Sitting there watching them, it just looks like so much fun," she says.

 

She got a small taste of what her kids love so much with her first end-of-the-year parents-kids game last season.

"I had avoided it for years, going I can't do it," she says, before laughing, "but it was so much fun. And we were so bad."

Between cheering on their kids' goals, passing around the hot chocolate and laughing at how easy the little ones make it look, Ana and the other moms often talked about how great it would be if they were the ones on the ice.

So they made it happen!

Twenty-seven women - including teachers, accountants, stay-at-home moms, an RCMP officer and an esthetician - showed up for their team's first practice. Some were as young as 19, others in their late 40's. A few had played hockey before and were looking for a place to play, but most would be putting on equipment for the first time.

 

Click here to read more about the Chetwynd ladies in this great article by Hockey Canada.

BC official Cydnie Rice (Invermere) has been selected as a linesperson for the 2015 Women's Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Hockey Championship that takes place March 12 - 15, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta.

Rice recently completed her first  national assignment as a referee at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. She currently officiates both male and female minor hockey as is also the only female official in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and BC Hockey League. Cydnie is a current level three (3) official and has previous national experience as a linesperson at the Women's ESSO Championship.

We recently chatted with Rice on her officiating career and recent success.

Interested in girls hockey? Not sure where to start?

The Vancouver Angels are hosting a Try It event at Sunset Arena on March 29, 2015.

Girls aged 4+ are invited to try ice hockey in a fun, 45 minute, safe, on-ice session with the Vancouver Angels - Vancouver's only all-female ice hockey association. Also known as the Killarney Girls Ice Hockey Association, the Angels offer girls from all over Vancouver the opportunity to participate in competitive and recreational hockey from September through March.

Every will be supplied - skates, equipment, coaches, Angels of all ages & refreshments. Check it out!

Click here for registration. 

Please contact events@vancouvergirlshockey.com for more information.

Did you know that not all skate sharpenings are the same? 

Source for Sports Precision Balance is a method of sharpening that will enhance your skating ability and performance on the ice. Speed, power, balance, stability, the critical elements of skating, can be affected as a result of precise sharpening and contouring. The benefits of Precision Balance include increased power, controlled leg extension, improved balance and agility, and increased lateral movement.

Precision Balance Sharpening addresses all of the inherent variables that affect the skate blade so that a better quality sharpening can be achieved. Blade thickness, for example, can reduce the bite angle of your blade and can ultimately cause slippage while your leg is at full extension during the skating stride.  A Precision Balance sharpening ensures a proper radius of hollow that is centred on the blade, with smooth edges and a quality finish.

Precision Balance contouring is a process of transferring the mechanical point of the foot directly to the skate blade. Contouring is the process of controlling the "APEX" of the blade radius through a machining process. This enables the skate technician to control the amount of knee bend as well as position the body in the proper location over the skate blades, thus, affecting the body's balance and power generation.

The technician can establish the correct "radius" and "lie" required prior to performing an machine work through several individual considerations such as height and weight, leg shape and foot position.

Click here to learn more