A trio of Richmond players had significant roles in Team B.C. earning back-to-back podium finishes at the U18 Women’s National Hockey Championships.
B.C. closed out the tournament on Sunday in Quebec City with a 2-1 overtime win over Saskatchewan to earn bronze.
The B.C. roster included blueliners Courtney Vorster and Kate Reilly, along forward Katie Chan.
Vorster, 17, was making her third straight appearance at the championships and served as team captain. She has already been identified as one of the top up-and-coming players in the country — having played for the U18 national team last season and poised to do so again at the 2018 World Championships.
Reilly, 16, made the B.C. roster for the second straight year. Like Vorster, she attends Shattuck-St. Mary’s — a renowned hockey boarding school in Minnesota where she plays for the Sabres U16 team. Vorster is a member of the Prep team.
Chan turned heads by cracking the B.C. line-up at just 14. The speedster was the only 2003-born player participating at Nationals and believed to be the first in recent memory.
B.C. opened the championships with a 2-0 win over Saskatchewan. Another shutout victory followed — this time a 3-0 result against Manitoba. Vorster chipped in with one assist and earned Player of the Game honours. Chan led B.C. with a goal and a helper.
That set the stage for Friday’s round-robin finale against Quebec with B.C. needing only a tie to secure a semi-final berth. The hosts battled back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game but still needed another to advance. With their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Abbotsford’s Alec Allan scored into the empty net with 16 seconds remaining for a 4-3 B.C. win. Reilly recorded an assist.
The B.C. girls then ran into the juggernaut Ontario Hockey program that dominated the tournament.
Ontario Red blitzed B.C. in the opening period for a 3-0 lead and never looked back in a 6-1 victory. Reilly was named Team B.C.’s Player of the Game. That set the stage for Sunday’s all-Ontario final with the Reds slipping past Ontario Blue 3-1.
B.C needed to beat Saskatchewan for the second time in four days to earn a spot on the podium. It took three periods and then some thanks to terrific goaltending from Jordan Ivanco as B.C. outshot its prairie opponent 46-21.
Jenna Bugilioni opened the scoring in the second period and Saskatchewan equalized with just 18 seconds remaining in the frame. The score remained that way until overtime when B.C. took advantage of a Saskatchewan minor penalty.
Ryaland McKinnon scored on the power play at the 39 second mark with assists to Danika Pasqua and Vorster.
Chan’s three points put her among the top 10 in tournament scoring, along with four of her B.C. teammates.
She will now resume her season with the Langley-based Fraser Valley Rush as an aged up player in the B.C. Female Midget AAA Hockey League. She is second in league scoring with 15 points in nine games.
