In arenas across the country this Saturday, Hockey Canada will run a day-long game that spans more than 12 hours and includes at least 2,000 female players on 98 teams at 49 different cities and towns at the atom, peewee, bantam, midget and senior levels.
The Richmond Ravens hockey association is one of five teams playing in B.C. for and next year, the Vancouver Angels girls hockey association wants the puck to drop at their home arena in a game that unites players in Canada.
The Angels have already put in a request for specific evening ice time, which is the reason they couldn’t participate this year.
For this year, however, the Angels have set up a scrimmage against the Abbotsford Ice — not officially part of “the long game,” as Hockey Canada calls it, but still something to celebrate the World Girls’ Hockey Weekend, which is a four-year-old creation of the international hockey federation.
The Angles also invite girls aged four to 17 to try hockey again or for the first time. The clinic is at Killarney ice rink on Oct. 11 from 9 to 9:45 a.m. and again from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The scrimmage will run between the two clinics.
The Angels added a second session because of high demand, said Jim Yue.
“Hockey is different than other sports. You need to know how to skate,” he said. “It’s not like soccer, for example, where you can put on a pair of shoes and go kick a ball around.”
All equipment, including helmets and skates, is provided for free.
“We supply full protective equipment and skates, with the session run by our coaches and assisted by a range of Vancouver Angels from initiation level to our most experienced midget-aged girls,” said Yue.
To register, contact info@vancouvergirlshockey.com.
