Skip to content

BC Thunder hosting Manitoba for berth in Nationals

Best-of-three National Ringette League series starts at noon on Saturday in Richmond
ringette
BC Thunder will take Manitoba this weekend in Richmond for a berth in the upcoming National Ringette League Championships in Prince Edward Island.

A trip to the National Ringette League Championships in Prince Edward Island will be on the line when the BC Thunder host the Manitoba Intact in a best-of-three playoff series this weekend at Minoru Arenas in Richmond.

Under Ladner native and first-year Thunder boss Troy Takasaki, BC earned home ice advantage thanks to edging out Manitoba by two points in the final regular season standings. 

The series will feature a doubleheader on Saturday —  with a noon start for the opener and 6:30 p.m. for the nightcap. If necessary, a deciding game would be played Sunday at noon.

The teams met two weeks ago in Winnipeg where BC clinched home ice with a 9-4 victory. The Intact bounced back to win the next two — 9-1 and 6-5 — but BC won the season series (3-2) thanks to a pair of home ice wins back in October.

BC is looking to secure its first trip to the NRL Nationals since the 2013 season after winning gold a year earlier in Burnaby. 

The Thunder’s roster ranges from 18 to 42 years of age and features talent from throughout B.C. and beyond. There are Finnish imports Salla Naakka and Petra Ojranta along with additional players from Manitoba and Ontario.

The line-up also includes Delta’s Amanda Mott who played for BC at the recent Canada Winter Games in Red Deer. 

The Thunder’s 11-12-0-1 regular season record was highlighted by splitting its six-game season series with Western Conference champion Edmonton WAM! (19-4-0-1).

The NRL Nationals are slated for April 7-13.