Four teams from the Tri-City Predators Female Ice Hockey Association showed a lot of heart Feb. 3-5 - and loads of skill, too.
The Preds competed in the annual Surrey Superheart Tournament, which featured teams from as far away as Fairbanks, Alaska. After three days of round-robin games, the Preds in all four divisions qualified to compete in the championship final games.
The Atom 1 team finished with silver medals in a nail biter 3-1 loss against the North Shore Avalanche. The Avalanche was the only team that managed to beat the Tri Cities in the Atom 1 division. They went undefeated against squads from Surrey, North Shore Winter Club and Vancouver.
Exceptional single-game scoring contributions within the tournament were made by Natalie Dolhanty (hat trick), Bianca Marconato (hat trick) and Emily Matsui (four goals in a single game). Other notable offensive point-earners included Amanda Phillips, Chantel Da Silva and Clare Magura.
The Preds Peewee 2 team was unstoppable on the first day by winning both of its games, 6-2 against Langley Lightnings and 10-1 against Ridge Meadows Barracudas. On the second day of round-robin play, the Peewee Preds played against the hosting team, the Surrey Falcons. With three minutes left in the third period, the Falcons were losing 3-1 and pulled their goalie for the extra player, which produced a goal making it 3-2. They kept their goalie out and with 46 seconds left in regulation time, they tied the Falcons 3-3. In the last round-robin game, the Peewees bounced back with a solid 5-0 win against 100 Mile House. By points, the Predators and the Milers were first and second respectively, going into the finals. The Peewees won gold with a dazzling 6-0 triumph, keyed by the shutout goaltending of Kaitlyn Daly. Top scorers for the Preds were Sophia McIntosh, Jenna Sinclaire, Maya Peterson and Shayla Turner, while standout defence by Grace Gosselin, Alex Haagen and Kari Sutton.
The Preds Bantam 2 team had only a two-hour break between their last round-robin game and the final against the Chilliwack Warriors. The team came out a bit sluggish in the first period and was down 3-0 but battled back to tie it up 3-3, sending the game into overtime before the locals eventual fell.
The Preds Bantam Rep A team also went into the finals undefeated and took home the gold via an exciting 2-1 win over the Prince George Cougars.
