A trio of Richmond players will be suiting up for the South Coast Women’s Hockey Selects when they take on Team Shenzen of China on Sunday, Aug. 19 at UBC.
Team Shenzen, a Team China Olympic Development squad funded by Kunlun Red Star, is comprised of North American Chinese college and high school players. They will face-off against the SCWHL Selects at 7 p.m. at the Father David Bauer Arena.
The Selects line-up will include local products Natalie Korenic and Marisa Chau of the Richmond Devils, along with Natasha Steblin of the Fraser Valley Jets.
After their games against the SCWHL Selects, Team Shenzen will play three games against the UBC Thunderbirds as part of a summer camp in Vancouver.
“At the end of the camp they go back to their respective club or college teams. We will be holding another camp in December and a final camp before the World Championships,” said Rob Morgan, general manager of the Kunlun Red Star and Chinese national women’s teams.
“These camps are all part of the North American Chinese development and evaluation process as we prepare for Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.”
The South Coast Women’s Hockey League is a nine-team senior AA league, and its select team will feature several former NCAA and U Sports players.
The SCWHL hosted Team China for three games in October, 2016. Team China swept all three games, defeating the Richmond Devils 2-1, the South Fraser TNT 3-0 and the SCWHL Selects 3-1.
The Devils will be holding tryouts for the 2018-19 season Sept. 6-9 at the Richmond Ice Centre.
