Three shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation youth went to Montreal last week to represent Team B.C. at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
Competing against the best in Canada, Talaysay Campo, Squamish and Sechelt member, competed for the second time on the female squad while Lakota Joe and Brennen Mayers, shíshálh members, played for the men's team.
Team BC made history by winning the province's first national title in the event's 12-year history, beating Team Ontario 5-3 in the gold medal game.
"The hard work and dedication was unprecedented and the team dynamics were incredible," said head coach Joe Quewezance. "When we held the selection camp back in April, we were blown away by the number of young, talented Aboriginal hockey players in B.C. Once the team was selected, we were confident the group chosen was going to be a strong contender."
Heading into the tournament seeded fifth, Team B.C. gradually climbed the rankings through the week and landed themselves in the semifinals against Team Manitoba. The result was an exciting 4-3 overtime win, which advanced Team BC into its first ever appearance in the gold-medal game.
It was Brennen's second time on the team and Lakota's first. It required some intense effort to break an already experienced and strong B.C. roster, but break into the line-up they did. Even with a plus game, Lakota only saw a few shifts, but he stuck to his consistent defensive play and solid hitting. That consistency paid off, as Lakota was the coaches' go to D-man and he played a large chunk of the championship game when one of the senior defencemen got injured.
Brennen displayed steady skating and solid checking throughout the tournament. With his speed, solid hitting and ability to move laterally across the ice in what seemed like a nano-second, his two-way play should see plenty of ice time in next year's tournament.
Talaysay, the second youngest on her team, played a steady shift. She scored in her third game, but had to sit out two games due to a collision on ice with a Saskatchewan player that sidelined her for the rest of the tournament.
All three players and their families would like to thank Alterra Power, Toba Montrose, for helping with their travel expenses. All three players are already excited to attend the try-outs for next year's teams.
- With files from Ian Jacques
