[Championship Recap] Burnaby Wildcats Midget

Burnaby Wildcats Midget - winners of the Remembrance Day Tournament in November

Division: Midget
Manager: Nicole Geyer
Opponents: Langley (Championship Game)
Result: Langley wins 4-3 in a shootout

The Burnaby Wildcats have an affinity for taking Championship-determining games into shootouts. Just a few months after winning the Remembrance Day Hockey Tournament in a dramatic shootout on home-ice, the team once again found themselves going the distance in a big game. This season-ending Championship game was played on March 8th against Langley.

The Langley team was a frequent opponent for the Wildcats and both teams have challenged each other to play at their very best all season long. The Wildcats won both their regular season games against Langley, and then tied one game and lost one game against them in the playoffs. This set the stage for a hotly-contested Championship game, and the players did not disappoint. Both teams played hard till the end but, unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were unable to win the shootout this time around. Shootouts force players who are used to working together as a team to suddenly take center stage individually. They are not, however, a reflection of how well a team is capable of playing as a group.

The game did not get to a shootout without some regulation-time heroics. The Wildcats battled back from an early 2-goal deficit to tie it up, and then went ahead 3-2 with a goal late in the 2nd period. Unfortunately, Langley managed to tie it up early in the 3rd period and then went on to seal the Championship in the shootout.

Despite the loss, the Wildcats Midget team is still extremely proud of their efforts. They committed themselves to working hard on their skills and they made positive strides all season long. The Midget team was benefitted by the hiring of Dominique Di Rocco as the Burnaby Wildcats' Head of Female Hockey Development. Through several on-ice sessions spent training with Di Rocco, the players were given the opportunity to learn from an accomplished former-player and current AAA-level coach about what makes a team successful. The opportunity comes at the perfect time for the Midget players. Soon many of them will be leaving their Minor Hockey careers behind and some may be pursuing oppportunities in the CIS or NCAA. As a former CIS player herself, Di Rocco is a good resource to help guide the players through the next few years of their hockey careers.

The plans for a season-ending celebration are in the works as the girls look forward to being able to have some fun together as a team and recognize the accomplishments of all players, and the contributions of the team coaches, managers, and helpers.

~ Jehan Jiwa

[Monthly Recap - February] Burnaby Wildcats Novice

Burnaby Wildcats Novice at the NHL Heritage Classic

Division: Novice
Manager: Joanne Lee

If ever anyone needs convincing that hockey is the best sport in the world and that all young kids should at least be given the opportunity to participate in an organized hockey league, just bring them to observe the Burnaby Wildcats Novice team. This team of players ages 5 to 8 years old have been living it up and experiencing the joys of playing a team sport like hockey throughout the entire season!

February and March have been particularly exciting for the team. They started off the month of February by participating in the Grouse Mountain Pond Hockey Tournament. This annual tournament, held on the outdoor rink at Grouse Mountain, was a unique experience for all the players as they played some 3 on 3 hockey complete with no icings, offsides, or whistles of any kind, and they got to go up against other teams from the region, many of which were comprised only of boys. It was an incredible experience for everyone involved and will definitely go down as one of the highlights of the season.

The other highlight to end the hockey season was that the Wildcats Novice team was one of 8 teams out of so many in the Lower Mainland to participate in the used hockey gear renewal program, sponsored by TeamSnap and NHL Green.

TeamSnap is a web service that helps run sports teams online. Coaches, managers, players, and parents can sign on to this website to view everything from the team's upcoming schedule of practices and games, to upcoming events, to player availability for each game. The website also allows for tracking of team funds as well as the arranging of team snacks and special events. The Wildcats Novice team utilizes TeamSnap for many of these functions as it is an easy and time-efficient way of handling daily team activities and commitments. Other great features of TeamSnap include stats keeping and SMS messaging. While the Novice team did not utilize the stats tool this season, mainly because they do not keep track of scores just yet, they expect that this tool will become very handy for the team in the next few years as they start moving towards keeping an accurate log of all the various stats in hockey.

NHL Green is an initiative of the National Hockey League, which promotes green living in all communities. NHL Green aims to provide education to the public on actions that can help us keep our environment clean and healthy. The program promotes and encourages sustainable living practices such as the recycling of paper products, electronics, and hockey gear, the planting of trees, water restoration projects, and even fuel-cell technologies used to light NHL arenas.

As the end of the hockey season approaches, one thing is always in abundance in the home of a hockey player: used hockey gear. To that end, the Wildcats participated in the above-mentioned used hockey gear renewal program as a way of giving back to the hockey community and contributing to healthy environmental practices. The team was rewarded for their kindness by being given tickets to the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic in Vancouver! Before puck-drop between the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators on March 1st, the parking lot of the Plaza of Nations was transformed into Spectator Plaza - a place where players could drop off old hockey gear and teams could activate their TeamSnap memberships. Craig Johnson of TeamSnap was on hand to greet the girls and, once the girls had donated all their used hockey gear, give them their prized tickets! The gear will be donated to HEROES Hockey in Vancouver - a charitable organization that empowers youth through ice hockey. The Wildcats Novice team was thrilled to participate in this worthy cause.

The players and their parents had an amazing time at the game and they are now looking forward to one final practice to end the season. The coaches are planning a light-hearted and fun practice on this final day.

The Burnaby Wildcats Novice team would like to thank TeamSnap and NHL Green for the generous gift of tickets to the Heritage Classic Game and for the opportunity to donate their gear to such a worthy charity. Through this process, the team not only got to enjoy a unique outdoor NHL game, but they also learned about giving back to the game and to the community which has given them so much!

~ Jehan Jiwa

[Monthly Recap - February] Burnaby Wildcats Peewee

Division: Peewee C1            

Manager’s Name: Qun Gee

Head Coach: Mike Richards

Assistant Coaches: Troy Dragon, Luie Zappacosta

Record in February:
Regular Season: 1-1-0
Playoffs: 5-1-2 
Opponents: Meadow Ridge C1, Surrey C1, Richmond C2, Abbotsford C1, Tri-Cities C1

February was a positive month for the Burnaby Wildcats Peewee team. It was a month that saw them achieve some strong results, which were the culmination of a lot of hard work put in by all players and coaches throughout the entire season. 

The team closed out the regular season with a win against Tri-Cities and a 4-0 loss against Richmond. Despite losing their final game of the regular season, there were still plenty of positives to build off of in that game. Throughout most of the season, the Wildcats have been outscored substantially in every game against Richmond. This final regular season game was much more competitive than all previous games, and it showed tangible proof that all the work the team has put in to practices, games, and tournaments has paid off. Observers of this final regular season game were happy to see that the players have closed the gap against higher-ranked teams like Richmond and they firmly believe that the 4-0 final score was not indicative of how well the team competed. 

The Wildcats Peewee team was re-tiered for the playoffs and, as a result, they've been a lot more competitive in all their post season games. To date, they have only lost one game, which was to Abbotsford. It is amazing what a few wins and strong efforts can do for a team's confidence. After a tough season that has included lopsided losses and injuries to key players, the Wildcats are thriving in their re-tiered playoff division. The team fully recognizes that, despite competing against strong opponents for most of the season, these tough battles helped the team improve immensely. They have been called upon to elevate their games to a higher level and every player has had to step up to help the team stay competitive. As a result of this attitude and work ethic, the team stood in 2nd place in their group after the round robin portion of the playoffs. Only the unbeaten Abbotsford Peewee C1 finished higher. 

The team will be playing for the Red Flight Championship against Abbotsford, hopefully in the first week of March. The two organizations are working together to schedule this game. The Wildcats are looking forward to the challenge of going up against the only unbeaten team in the division. As Team Canada proved at the Olympics, the Gold Medal Game is always a great time to hand a team its first loss! 

The Burnaby Wildcats Peewee team has grown remarkably over the course of this season. The results haven't always been easy to take but the team has stuck together and they kept competing till they got the results they wanted. Regardless of the results of the Red Flight Championship game, the team is proud of all they have accomplished this season.

~ Jehan Jiwa


 

[Tournament Recap] Grouse Mountain Pond Hockey Tournament

Burnaby Wildcats Novice at the Grouse Mountain Pond Hockey Tournament

Playing hockey on outdoor ice rinks is one of Canada's oldest and richest hockey traditions. Outdoor rinks have been the stage for the beginnings of many of Canada's greatest hockey stories. From Wayne Gretzky to Sidney Crosby to Angela James to Geraldine Heaney, all the game's great players seem to start their hockey stories the same way: playing all day, every day, on outdoor hockey rinks near their homes. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, if you don't like the cold!), backyard hockey rinks are a rarity in the Lower Mainland. It isn't often that temperatures sink low enough for residents to get a sheet of ice ready for play. To get a real taste of what the rest of Canada is talking about, we Vancouverites have to make the trek up to one of the local mountains before we too can enjoy outdoor hockey.

Burnaby Wildcats (Team Czech Republic) in action

Fortunately, Grouse Mountain features one of the best outdoor rinks on the West Coast - an 8000 square foot sheet of ice, surrounded by trees and slopes, located high above the city. The rink is open to the public starting from late-November through to mid-April. This year, during the week of February 5th to 9th, Grouse Mountain held their annual Junior Pond Hockey Tournament. The Burnaby Wildcats Novice team saw this as a perfect and unique opportunity to take their players away from the indoor rinks they're used to and up to Grouse Mountain for what truly became a memorable weekend.

The Burnaby Wildcats were one of only two all-female teams that entered the tournament. Each team that entered was assigned an Olympic-participant country, which they would be "representing" in this tournament. The teams included Russia, Canada, Slovakia, Austria, Sweden, Czech Republic, USA, Slovenia, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, and Latvia. The Burnaby Wildcats were assigned as Team Czech Republic, and the only other all-female Novice team was Slovenia. The tournament was played at 3-on-3 format, with no scorekeeping, no lines on the ice, no icings or offsides, and no penalties. A referee was there to ensure safety but the environment was pretty casual and everyone was allowed to keep the play going. There were no whistles so the players had to change on the fly! There were no boards either. The rink surface was surrounded by snowbanks on all sides. In addition to playing against Slovenia, the Burnaby Wildcats (or rather, the Czech Republic Wildcats!) also played against Switzerland and Austria. The latter two games were against teams comprised mainly of boys, and our Novice girls did a great job of playing against them.

It was a beautiful, sunny day but it was definitely cold up there! At one point on the Wednesday evening, temperatures dropped to -11C. Players had to improvise a little bit to make sure they were nice and warm. In addition to the great memories of playing outdoor hockey, the players also got to keep their very stylish Team Czech Republic jerseys as a souvenir. 

As is always the case in a sport like hockey, participating in this tournament required a lot of commitment on the part of the Wildcats parents. It is never easy to give up a weekend and to ensure that all the gear gets packed and put on properly and that everyone has a good time. It is always said that when players look back at their minor hockey experiences, no one will remember every single practice or game. What they will remember are the memorable moments where they were doing something different and doing it together as a team. This tournament was definitely something rare and different! The early morning runaround to get everyone organized was well worth it when the players were out on the ice laughing and having a great time.

All in all, this is what team sports are all about. Enjoying new experiences together. The Burnaby Wildcats had a great time participating in the The Grouse Mountain Pond Hockey Tournament. It is something that will definitely be a highlight of the season and hopefully one that the players will reflect back on fondly whenever they think back to their time in minor hockey. The Winter Olympics are underway half a world away, but Team Czech Republic should know that they had a very worthy bunch of representatives playing for them here in Vancouver.

For more pictures from the 2014 Grouse Mountain Pond Hockey Tournament, check out our link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qihn5c2jynftr9y/54E_H8thr8#/


~ Jehan Jiwa

[Monthly Recap - January] Burnaby Wildcats Novice

Burnaby Wildcats Novice having fun at practice

Division: Novice
Manager: Joanne Lee
Games Played: 6 GP
Results: 3 Wins - 3 Losses

The new year started off with a light schedule for the Burnaby Wildcats Novice team. After a busy December in which the team not only played league games, but also participated in a tournament over the Christmas holidays, the month of January saw the team with only 6 games to play. The slight break in the schedule allowed for the team to focus more on practice. With players ages 5-8 years old, practice is especially important because it gives the coaches a chance to work on the fundamentals of ice hockey, which are sometimes hard to work on in game situations. It is always a tendency for young hockey players to skate to where the puck is rather than to where they need to be. Practices give coaches a chance to explain things like positioning, shooting, passing, and just overall hockey IQ to the players. Practices are also important in helping to build team chemistry. At novice age, a blank sheet of ice is an open invitation to play some hockey and have some fun!

All the skill-development work that the Novice girls have been working on will be on full display in February. The team has already participated in the 2014 Junior Pond Hockey Tournament up at Grouse Mountain. The tournament ran from February 5th to 9th and it was a unique opportunity for players to enjoy playing outdoor hockey on Grouse Mountain's 8000 square foot rink, while enjoying some friendly competition with their opponents and some enjoyable moments with their teammates and families. The tournament is played at 3-on-3 format - lots of skating, lots of goals. The Burnaby Wildcats team is the only girl's team to have entered this tournament. It'll was quite a challenge playing against boys, but the girls enjoyed showing the boys what they are capable of doing! While at this tournament, the team was also given a chance to strap on some skis and/or snowboards so they could try their hands at a few mountain sports.

Look for some updates and pictures from the tournament on our blogger page and on Twitter - @BurnabyWildcats.

~ Jehan Jiwa

[Monthly Recap - January] Burnaby Wildcats Peewee

Division: Peewee C1            

Manager’s Name: Qun Gee

Head Coach: Mike Richards

Assistant Coaches: Troy Dragon, Luie Zappacosta

Record in January: 

Record: 1-5-0

Opponents: Richmond, Langley, North Shore, North Shore Winter Club, Tri-Citites, and South Delta

It is always fun to be part of a team sport like hockey when the team is winning. Celebrating big goals and great saves and beating your friendly rivals from other teams is something every athlete enjoys doing. But what happens when a team is struggling? What happens when everyone is working hard but not getting the results?

That is the scenario that the Burnaby Wildcats Peewee team has been faced with quite frequently so far this season. The team is comprised of players from all different levels of experience in hockey. Some have been playing the sport for a few years now, while for others, this season is their first exposure to it. 

After an up-and-down end to 2013, which saw the Peewee Wildcats struggle in league play but have some success in the Remembrance Day Hockey Tournament, the new year has started out with things looking up for the team. Despite a 1-5-0 record in the month of January, the team has been playing better and better, and they were finally rewarded for their hard work with a victory over Tri-Cities. A goal for the team right now is to close the gap in scores in each game they play. Where early in the season their losses were more lopsided, the results now are much closer and the team is working hard to stay competitive in every game. 

When things are not going as planned for a hockey team, morale amongst players is very important. Head coach Mike Richards continues to award the Hard Hat Award to the hardest working player on the team after each game as a way of encouraging everyone to keep working hard and doing the right things. Tournaments are also a fun way to build camaraderie among players. The Peewee Wildcats participated in the Angels on Ice Female Hockey Tournament in Langley over the Christmas holidays. All players had a good time and it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. 
 

The team has been dealing with more challenges to start off the new year. Their goaltender suffered an injury in early January and there is no ETA on her possible return to the lineup. Goaltenders are the toughest players to replace on a hockey team because of the nature of their position, but the Wildcats wish their goalie a speedy recovery. With the playoffs just around the corner, the entire team will hope to be healthy so that they can push for more positive results.
 

~ Jehan Jiwa

[Monthly Recap - December] Burnaby Wildcats Midget

Burnaby Wildcats Midget - winners of the Remembrance Day Tournament

Division: Midget
Manager: Nicole Geyer
Opponents: Langley
Record: 2-0

The Burnaby Wildcats Midget team continues to make positive strides as their season progresses. Fresh off of being crowned the champions of the Remembrance Day Tournament, which was hosted by the Burnaby Wildcats in November, the Midget team made further strides by taking on and beating Langley twice in the month of December. The Langley Midget team was the only unbeaten team in the tier and the Burnaby Wildcats saw their 2 games against Langley as a real opportunity to establish themselves as a strong contender in the division.

The Midget team has been the beneficiary of Burnaby Wildcats Female Hockey's recent hiring of Dominique Di Rocco as their Head of Female Hockey Development. Di Rocco's numerous experiences of both playing and coaching the game at a high level have made her the perfect mentor for the Wildcats' midget players as they look to improve both on the ice and in the locker room. Di Rocco's influence comes at a key time for the players as they are now nearing the end of their careers in minor hockey. As they consider their options for the future, Di Rocco, who finished her minor hockey career and then went on to play for the UBC Thunderbirds in the CIS, can help guide the players who wish to continue their hockey careers through the decision making process. The girls have only had a couple of ice sessions with Di Rocco to date, but the improvement in their development is already evident.

After a series of great results in both November and December, the Wildcats midget team seized the holidays as an opportunity to celebrate and unwind off the ice. They celebrated Christmas with a team pool party...in the middle of winter! Just further proof that hockey players are indeed the toughest athletes out there!

~ Jehan Jiwa