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Thanks to the Quesnel Observer for providing some of the news items for this section of the website!
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2007/2008 Quesnel Ringette Association News
Babes win Ringette Title
April 16, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter - Sean Glanville
Quesnel Ringette Babes on Blades Masters team finished with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record en route to capturing the Abbotsford Invitational Ladies Ringette Adventure “Chicks on Ice” tournament April 5-6.
“The hours of practicing plays and strategies really paid off. I was especially pleased that every skater on the team scored and most players had more assists than goals, showing this tournament win was truly a team effort. I could not be more pleased with the performance of the players,” coach Michael Pelchat said.
The tournament was a fundraiser for cancer research with proceeds donated to melanoma research in memory of Diane Anderson, who played for Abbotsford Ladies team.
Babes opened against Surrey Friday with a short bench as the coach and two defensemen couldn’t make the game. Quesnel opened the scoring at the 14:04 mark with Surrey answering back to take a 2-1 lead. Quesnel tied it up at 3:23 of the first period and that score held at half time. Surrey took a 3-2 lead early in the second only to see Quesnel regain the lead 4-3 with two quick goals at 10:33 and 10:02. Surrey scored to tie the game 4-4, but Babes responded with the go ahead goal at 4:44 and an insurance marker to seal a 6-4 win.
Saturday Quesnel took on Port Coquitlam in game two with a full two lines. Poco opened the scoring at 14:35 but Babes responded at the 13:21 mark and took the lead with a second goal at 10:50. Poco tied the game up at 9:10, which would be their last tally of the game. Babes reclaimed the lead at 5:52 and added an insurance goal with 53.6 seconds remaining in the first.
Period two was all Quesnel as they scored five times in the first 10 minutes of the second, coasting to a 9-2 win.
Quesnel was back on the ice for game three against Delta an hour later. The game turned into a wild scoring event with the Babes clinging to a 6-5 lead at the end of the first period. Period two was all Quesnel as they tallied nine unanswered goals to cruise to a 15-5 victory over Delta. This score is even more significant given the tournament rule that a player can only score three goals in a game. Hat trick performances were displayed by Judy Young, Jackie Abrams and Janice Huska, with two goal efforts from Kate McRae and Sharlene Berg. Singles from Jackie Richert and Kathy Pelchat rounded out the scoring. Game four Saturday against North/West Vancouver proved to be the toughest of the tournament. Babes ended the first period with a 7-5 lead. The second period saw the intensity rise as North/West Vancouver pulled out all the stops but couldn’t beat Babes goaltender Bianca Scheidt. Babes tallied the only second period goal at the 1:39 mark to earn an 8-5 win.
The win set up a re-match with Surrey Sunday for the division title. Babes quickly established dominance in the game and doubled up their opponents with a 10-5 win in a fast-paced but cleanly-played game. Sonia Rausse, Cathy Schaefer and Carrie Chard and assistant Lindsey Bentley also helped lead the Babes to victory.
Tweens lose OT heartbreakers
April 6, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter - Sean Glanville
Their last loss at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships wasn’t the most crucial, but it may have been the toughest to handle.
Clinging to a 6-5 lead against Saskatchewan in the tween AA fourth place game at Kin 1 Saturday, the Northern League All-Stars surrendered the tying goal with 11 seconds remaining in regulation time. Saskatchewan carried the momentum into overtime, and Jaceil Peakman scored the winner 10 seconds into the extra frame for a 7-6 victory. ll-Stars finished without a win at 0-5 overall to finish last in the five-team draw. “We played Saskatchewan twice and we lost in overtime both times to them so they’re really close teams and they’re really competitive,” Northern League All-Stars assistant coach and trainer Don McMartin said, a Quesnel resident. Saskatchewan’s 8-7 victory over the host squad Friday morning dropped All-Stars from gold medal contention with a 0-3 record. They lost their final round-robin game Friday afternoon, 9-4 to the B.C. representatives. The B.C. squad lost 11-4 to Alberta in the gold medal game Saturday.
In Thursday’s opening day of the competition, All-Stars lost to Alberta and Manitoba by identical 6-2 scores. Alberta, Manitoba and B.C. were each 3-1 after round-robin action. In their semifinal contest, B.C. downed Manitoba 9-7 to advance to the championship game. Saskatchewan finished 2-3, with both victories coming against the host team. Unlike the belle A and junior A host teams in the competition, the Northern All-Stars weren’t made up of mostly Prince George players. The northern B.C. team had only three Prince George residents. Other members come from places such as Terrace, Houston and Quesnel. Westerns marked just the third tournament the All-Stars entered this season.
Travelling has made scheduling more difficult, and McMartin said some players have needed to travel for as long as eight hours for practices or games. They arranged to meet in Fraser Lake for practices. “That’s why it’s tough for the north to compete, but this year these kids, really they gelled, they all got along and they competed here this weekend.”< “These other teams, they check so hard. We’re not used to that here. But it is a learning experience for them.”
The Inferno finished winless at 0-5. In the round robin they lost 9-2 to Alberta, 9-2 to Manitoba, 7-2 to Saskatchewan and 7-3 to B.C. Alberta celebrated a gold medal championship with a 4-1 victory over Saskatchewan in the junior A final.
Saskatchewan, which finished 4-0, topped the round robin standings. Alberta finished 3-1, B.C. was 2-2 and Manitoba entered the fourth place game with a 1-3 record. Alberta, forced to win two playoff games Saturday to take gold, defeated B.C. 4-2 in the semifinal contest. The Inferno picked up Quesnel player Amanda King for the weekend. With only five second-year junior players this season, Prince George Ringette Association wants to expand that division beyond a single team. “We’re already looking forward to next year and we will, in all probabilities, have two junior teams here next year, and it’ll be a strong A team and a very strong B team too,” Sullivan said.
Entered as Team B.C. in the weekend competition due to finishing first place among belle A teams at provincials in March, Prince George Power defeated B.C.’s other team, Kelowna Rage 7-3 Sunday to finish 1-4. The Rage, who also finished 1-4, edged the Power 2-1 in their final round robin game Friday. Manitoba won the competition with a 3-0 win over Alberta in Saturday’s championship game.
RINGETTE Athletes compete against best in the West
March 30, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter - Sean Glanville
Ten Quesnel Ringette players have the sporting opportunity of a lifetime participating in the Western Canadian Ringette Championships in Prince George this weekend.
“It’s a one chance in a lifetime opportunity. I’m just excited as the players are for the event,” Quesnel Ringette promotions co-ordinator Melinda Moorhouse said. “It’s great that it’s in Prince George because we often have to travel long distances to find competition.”
The championships feature 15 teams from the four western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba competing in three age divisions: Tween AA, Junior A and Belle A. Each of the three divisions feature five teams with provincial teams representing the four provinces and a host team representative.
The host Northern Tween AA team has plenty of Quesnel content featuring six local players and coach Rob Stauffer. Stauffer has added three Prince George players and a Houston athlete to round out his roster of 10 players. The group of girls has gathered in Quesnel for training sessions the past couple weeks to try and gel as a team. “We’re the host team so we should have lots of support, it’s going to be some stiff competition playing the best players from western Canada so it will be a very fast and competitive brand of ringete,” Stauffer said. “It’s the chance of a lifetime for these girls to play at this level so hopefully the girls play well and can give all the teams a run for their money.”
Joining Stauffer on the Tween AA team are Sydney Kaleta, Jessica Macdonald, Emily McMartin, Colleen Moorhouse, Gillian Stauffer and Erin Wiggins. Stauffer and the six players helped Quesnel to a bronze medal at the B.C. Ringette A Championships in Quesnel earlier this month and hopes that experience will help them this weekend.
“I’m excited to play at this high level. We will need to work as a team to be successful,” Tween player Emily McMartin said. “We’ve gone to a couple tournaments together and we’ve practiced with each other so we should do fine.”
Tween defenceman Erin Wiggins feels the key to their success will be hard work. “We have to play with the same effort the entire game regardless if were winning or losing really badly, it’s important we don’t ever give up,” Wiggins said.Wiggins, a Grade 7 student at Parkland elementary felt the Tweens experience at provincials in Quesnel earlier this month have prepared them well for this event. “We were happy to win the bronze medal but I thought in our semi final game against Fraser Valley we could have done better.”
Quesnel will have a pair of girls playing for the host Prince George Belle A division team at the event. Rosalyn Paivenen and Pam Millsom will lace up their skates with the Spruce City team. Quesnel’s Amanda King was picked up by the Prince George Junior A team and Blair Browning will compete in the Belle division for Kelowna.
Tweens opened their tournament with a game against Alberta Thursday.
To follow the Quesnel girls the complete tournament schedule can be found at www.pgringette.ca then click W.C.R.C. 2008 and follow the tabs to team information - schedules.
Look for results in Wednesday’s Observer.
Cowgirls two-step to final
March 23, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Quesnel Cariboo Ford Cowgirls Petite A ringette team had to settle for the silver medal at the Provincial A Ringette Championships.
Cowgirls ran out of steam in the late stages of their gold medal game against Delta in Tuesday’s final at Twin Arenas.
Cowgirls led 4-1 early in the second before Delta responded with seven unanswered goals to earn an 8-4 victory. “Petites performed great, the girls played with their hearts on their sleeves and worked very hard. The gold medal game was very tight for the most part and could have easily gone either way and I’m sure next year they will be shooting for one notch above,” provincial coordinator Melinda Moorhouse said. Moorhouse was overwhelmed with the support from the community and the success of the event.
“It (provincials) went fantastic and was well received; I’ve had many e-mails since the older teams left thanking us for our hospitality. The community support was great and a lot of people went out of their way to make sure the out-of-town players and parents were comfortable and happy,” Moorhouse said.“We had good referees and good ringette, especially in the gold medal games. The spectator participation was fantastic as well.”
In the final, Delta took a 1-0 lead before Rebecca Milligan scored from Hanna Young at 12:47 to tie the game at 1-1. Cowgirls took the lead at 8:38 as Reagan Richert tallied from Cheyann Newman and Shania Boichat to put them ahead 2-1. Quesnel added another at the six-minute mark as Katie Berg scored off a Young set-up to make it 3-1 after one.Cowgirls jumped out to a 4-1 lead at 16:43 of the second as Berg scored her second of the game from Richert and Young, her third assist. Delta replied seconds later to cut the lead to 4-2 at 16:17. The goal seemed to spark Delta as the floodgates opened up on Quesnel. Delta netted six more goals in the final 15 minutes to cap an 8-4 victory and take the gold. “The girls ran out of gas, their minds were there and the effort was there but their bodies were tired. They were still trying but didn’t quite have the stamina they needed,” Moorhouse said.The final was Quesnel’s sixth game in three days and their tired legs couldn’t match Delta’s energy in the final period.
Petites downed Vernon 5-2 in the semi final. Tenille McKenzie and Nicole Martell paced the offence for Cowgirls with two goals apiece while Ricki Burt added another. Colleen Moorhouse picked up the win in goal.
Quesnel West Fraser Tween A team joined Petites on the podium, earning a bronze medal. Sarah Melnyk scored with 1:32 remaining to give Quesnel a 5-4 win over Vernon in the bronze medal game. Melnyk led the offence with a hat trick and Emily McMartin added two goals.Tweens were doubled up 10-5 in their semi final against Fraser Valley. Quesnel led 3-2 late in the first before Fraser Valley’s offence got on track. Sidney Kaleta led Quesnel with a hat trick and Jordan Pawluk added a goal.
RINGETTE Provincials face off Saturday
March 16, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Quesnel Ringette Association hosts the B.C. Ringette Association Provincial A Championships at Twin Arenas this weekend.
Twenty-eight teams from across the province will make the trip to the Gold Pan City to compete for provincial bragging rights.
Out-of-town entrants include Prince George, Fraser Valley (Langley), Vancouver, Shuswap (Salmon Arm), Vernon, Kelowna, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby and Delta.
Provincial A junior, belle and open division teams began play Friday and wrap up their tournaments with the medal round Sunday.
Provincial A Petite and Tween division teams start play Sunday and finish with their medal round Tuesday.Quesnel has four ringette teams competing in the junior, belle, petite and tween A divisions. Quesnel Juniors played in the tournaments opening game Friday against Vancouver and took on Kelowna in their second match Friday. Quesnel Belles opening game saw them battle Port Coquitlam and Kelowna Friday. Belles third game is 9:30 a.m. Saturday taking on Shuswap and play their fourth and final round-robin game against Burnaby at 12:45 p.m. Juniors third and final round-robin contest is at 11:15 a.m. Saturday as they battle Prince George. Juniors and Belles playoffs begin Saturday afternoon with medal round games scheduled for Sunday morning. Quesnel Tweens open their provincials at 2:15 p.m. Sunday as they hit the ice with Delta. Tweens second games is at 8:45 p.m. Sunday against Vernon. Quesnel Petites kick off action Sunday at 4:30 p.m. as they face off against Port Coquitlam and then battle Kelowna in their second game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
For game times go to www.quesnelringette.info to download the schedule.
Quesnel sent one team to the B.C. Provincial B Ringette Championships in Surrey last weekend.
Quesnel Legion Petite B team came away with losses in all four round-robin games they played. However, the team was competitive losing really close games to Enderby and Westside. They played well considering they were short a few players and despite not registering a win the girls had lots of fun and gained valuable experience.
Winning inductees celebrated at Gala
February 20, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Quesnel Sports Hall of Fame welcomed 14 people including a ringette team and a girls softball team, as its third class of inductees, at a ceremony at West Fraser Timber Room.
It capped off Quesnel’s Spirit of B.C. Week and recognized the achievements of a variety of athletes.
“We are very proud to honour people who have contributed so much to sports and recreation in our area,” Quesnel Mayor Nate Bello said.“The excellence of our athletes demonstrates what a strong sports community Quesnel is.”
Doug Service was inducted into the Outstanding Contribution to Athletic Development category.Service has been involved with high school basketball in Quesnel, the North Central Region and provincially since he arrived in 1973. He has served as a referee, working to elevate the level of refereeing in Quesnel and provincially.He is a charter member of the Canadian Association of Basketball Officials and has served on the National Board as the B.C. delegate. In 1996, Service received of the CABO’s Wink Willox award, named for B.C.’s and Canada’s officiating pioneer. In 2003, Service was named the Basketball B.C. Official of the Year.
Three Gassoff brothers – Bob, Brad and Ken were inducted into the Outstanding Athletic Career category.Bob was inducted posthumously as a member of one of Quesnel’s truly great hockey families. He enjoyed an outstanding career as a defenceman, which culminated in a four-year-stint with the St. Louis Blues.He was the Blues’ MVP in 1976-77, their most improved player in 1974-75. He played 245 games in the NHL, scoring 11 goals, and 47 assists while tallying 866 penalty minutes. Tragically, Bob’s career was cut short when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1977.
Brad Gassoff enjoyed an outstanding career as a left winger, spending the majority of his professional career in the Central Hockey League with the Tulsa Oilers and the Dallas Black Hawks. He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 1975 NHL entry draft (28th overall) after an outstanding junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Kamloops Chiefs (80 goals and 107 assists in 199 games).
Brad was also a member of the Quesnel Kangaroos from 1980 to 1986, winning five Coy Cups as the B.C. Senior AA champions. He went on to coach the Quesnel Kangaroos to Coy Cup victories in 1986 and 1987. Brad served as the co-head coach and general manager of the Quesnel Millionaires with his brother Ken in October 1998, holding that position until October 1999.
Ken Gassoff enjoyed an outstanding career as a centre, spending his professional career in the minor leagues. He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 18th round (233rd overall) of the 1974 NHL entry draft after a great junior career with the Kamloops Rockets and Medicine Hat Tigers (79 goals and 165 assists in 180 games over three seasons).
One of the highlights of Ken’s career was winning the CHL championship, the Adams Cup, in 1977 as a member of the Kansas City Blues. That year Ken was the playoffs goals leader with four. He was also a member of the Quesnel Kangaroos from 1980 to 1986, winning the Coy Cup as the B.C. Senior AA champions five times. Ken spent a year as the co-head coach and general manager of the B.C. Hockey League’s Quesnel Millionaires with his brother Brad from October 1998 until October 1999.
Those inducted into the Outstanding Athletic Achievement category were:
Quesnel Investors Group Bantam C Girls Softball Team. The squad became the first bantam C club to win provincials last summer with a 11-10 victory against Campbell River. They played 10 games in three days, including four in a row on the day of the finals.
Quesnel Cariboo Ford Petite A Ringette team of 10-11-year-old girls won five games and tied one en route to a provincial gold medal in March. Not only was it the first time a Quesnel team won at the A level; it was the first time any team from central or northern B.C. won at this level.
Steve Hohmann has become a perennial favourite at the B.C. Rodeo Association’s championships. This year Steve was the saddle bronc riding champion.
He also came in second, by a mere five points, in the bareback championship, and fourth in bull riding. He was at the top of the money list in the BCRA standings in bareback and saddle bronc, and third in bull riding. He was also named BCRA’s All Around Cowboy for 2007.
Dan Baker had an amazing year in the pool, winning three different provincial titles.
He took gold in the Div. 7 100-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly and 100-metre freestyle.
Dan swims and trains in Edmonton with the ORENDA swim club in Edmonton. He’s attending the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology studying power engineering and swims on his school swim team as well.
Eight archers were also inducted. Sandy Watson took first place at the BCAA 3D provincials in the Male Masters Compound category. Bonnie Watson won first place at the BCAA 3D Provincials in the Female Masters Compound category. Shaylyn Robertson placed first at the BCAA Indoor Provincials. She then went on to the FCA Indoor nationals, where she came first in the cub barebow category while setting a new national record. Danica Freel took first place at this year’s BCAA Indoor Provincials in the Cub Compound category. Joel Biller took first place at this year’s BCAA Indoor Provincials in the Pre-Cub Compound category. Sydney Watson took first place at the BCAA 3D Provincials in the Female Cub Compound category. Barb Wright qualified by winning the BCAA Indoor Provincials in the Masters Compound category. Barb also won the Female Masters Compound division at the 2006 BCAA Indoor Provincials. Alexandra Wright took first place at the BCAA Indoor Provincials, setting a new provincial record in the female PeeWee category.
Cowgirls win gold at Kelowna ringette tourney
February 20, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter - Sean Glanville
Quesnel Petite A Cowgirls Ringette team captured the gold medal with a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the final game at the Sweetheart Tournament in Kelowna Feb. 9-10.
Petites were battling rivals Vernon in Sunday’s final and trailed 6-5 with a minute remaining. Quesnel scored a late goal to tie the game 6-6 and send the contest into overtime.
In the extra session, Petites spent most of the time in Vernon’s zone. With Quesnel short-handed, Cheyanne Newman charged in from her position on defense and buried the game winning goal in the top corner of the net to give Quesnel a 7-6 victory.
Cowgirls finished the tournament with an impressive 5-0, win-loss record.
Petite A coach Judy Young was very pleased with her teams performance all weekend. “We had two come from behind wins that show how the girls never give up. As the games progress, their intensity and stamina brings them to victory every time,” Young said. “The girls success comes from their ability to outskate their opponents. This team will be very strong contender at the provincial championships this March.” Petites kicked off the tournament with a pair of victories Friday. Cowgirls downed Fraser Valley Looney Tunes in their first game 10-4 and then defeated Kelowna 9-3 in their second contest of the day. Saturday, Quesnel squeaked by Vernon 4-3 and then outskated the Fraser Valley Thunder 7-0 to set up a re-match with Vernon in the final game. Petites assistant coach Wayne Moorhouse was also impressed with the play of the Cowgirls.
“This is a fantastic group of athletes and they showed lots of great teamwork especially in their two come from behind wins over the Vernon Stingers who I’m sure we’ll see again at the provincials here in Quesnel,” Moorhouse said. “These girls are one of the best teams the Quesnel Ringette Association has ever put on the ice and all of Quesnel should be very proud of what these girls have accomplished so far this season.” Moorhouse believes it was the Petites incredible fitness which helped lead them to victory. “The Cowgirls are a good skating team and their conditioning and stamina really showed in this tournament, a couple of teams stayed close to us for maybe half a game but we outskated and outscored them in the last half of our games.” The best example of their fitness taking over was their round-robin game against Vernon.
Cowgirls were down 3-0 but the girls outworked Vernon for the rest of the game and skated away with a 4-3 win, scoring the game winning goal with 45 seconds left on the clock.
Cariboo Pulp Tween C team also participated in the tourney. Tweens were in tough, posting an 0-4, win-loss record, losing to teams from Kelowna, Coquitlam, Vernon and Penticton. However, Tweens did manage to score goals in every game. Tween C head coach Kate McRae was pleased with the girls’ effort despite not picking up a victory. “The girls showed great heart and tried their best in every game. We were pretty close in a couple of the games and unlucky not to get a result,” McRae said. McRae has seen a major improvement in the girls’ play over the course of the season and looks forward to their remaining games. “I’ve noticed a big time improvement in the girls. For a lot of them this is their first year of Ringette and their getting better every time on the ice.” The Tweens are back in action this weekend as they travel north to Prince George for a pair of games. The ringette teams are in action at a tournament in Houston this weekend, while some of the players will compete at the B.C. Winter Games co-hosted by Kimberly and Cranbrook this weekend. The Quesnel Ringette Association host the 2008 Ringette ‘A’ Provincials March 14-18 at Twin Arenas. The association encourage everyone to come out and support the local teams and watch the best Ringette the province has to offer.
Ringette Gold - Sport Shorts
February 17, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Quesnel Ringette sent two teams to the 18th annual Sweetheart Ringette tournament in Kelowna this past weekend.
The Cariboo Ford Cowgirls Petite A team rode out of Kelowna with gold medals after they defeated all challengers. Friday the Cowgirls downed Fraser Valley Looney Tunes 10-4 and Kelowna 9-3. Saturday Quesnel squeaked by Vernon 4-3 and then outskated the Fraser Valley Thunder 7-0 to set a up a rematch with Vernon in the finals. The Gold medal game was a wild one with the Cowgirls coming from behind to tie up the game in the last minute and winning in overtime 7-6,The Petite A girls have not lost a game to a team in their division all season and look to be the gold medal favourite heading into the provincial championships in March.
The Cariboo Pulp Tween C team was in tough going 0-4, win-loss record.Tweens dropped games to Kelowna, Coquitlam, Vernon and Penticton although they did manage to score goals in every game.
Next tournament action is in Houston, Feb. 23-24.
The same weekend members of the Quesnel Ringette Club will be competing at the B.C. Winter Games co-hosted by Kimberly and Cranbrook.
Quesnel Ringette Association is less than a month away from hosting the 2008 “A” B.C. Provincial Ringette Championships March 14-18 at Twin Arenas.
Ringette Richmond
February 3, 2008 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Dunkley Lumber Quesnel Junior Ringette team traveled to Richmond Jan. 11-13 to compete in the West Coast Classic tournament.
They failed to medal, returning with a tie and three losses, yet played extremely well in this tournament with excelent goaltending from Joydyn Cryderman.
While in Richmond, the team attended and represented Quesnel as well as the Ringette Association at signing part of the roof of the speedskating oval for the 2010 Olympics.
Ringette teams return with medals
December 30, 2007 - Quesnel Observer
By - Observer Reporter
Cowgirls, Tween A’s earn bronze in Langley.
Quesnel Ringette Association sent a pair of teams to the Spirit of Ringette Tournament in Langley Dec. 14-16 and both teams came home with medals.
Petite A Cariboo Ford Cowgirls cruised through round-robin play undefeated but stumbled in the semifinal losing a heartbreaker in overtime on a penalty shot. However, Cowgirls bounced back in the consolation final to skate away with a bronze medal.
Cowgirls breezed through the round robin portion with a perfect 4-0 win-loss record to place first in their pool. They downed the host Fraser Valley Thunder 8-1, then defeated Surrey/White Rock 6-2, Vernon 5-4 and Burnaby/New Westminster 5-4.
In their semifinal, Cowgirls were pitted against Port Coquitlam and came out on the short end of a 7-6 overtime decision. Despite the tough loss, Quesnel came back with one of their best performances of the season in the bronze Medal game, skating to a 7-1 victory over Burnbay/New Westminster.
Tween A West Fraser had the same fate as the Cowgirls, suffering a semifinal loss in overtime and then coming back to win a bronze medal.
Tweens finished the round robin with a 2-2 record. They defeated Port Coquitlam 10-3 and then edged Coquitlam 11-7 before dropping their last two group games 9-4 to eventual champs Delta and 9-5 to the host Fraser Valley Fire.
They played Fraser Valley in a semifinal re-match and took them to overtime but lost 7-6. Tweens then picked up a convincing 10-6 win over Coquitlam to capture bronze.
The next action for the Quesnel ringette teams will on home-ice as they host the Quesnel Goldpan Tournament Jan. 4-6 at the Twin Ice Arenas.
Quesnel is also hosting the 2008 ‘A’ Provincial Ringette Championships March 14-18.
West Fraser Tween A bronze medalalists.
Juniors top tourney
December 16, 2007 - Quesnel Observer
By - Rachel Stern - Observer Reporter
Quesnel sent two teams to a ringette tournament last weekend in Houston.
Dunkley Lumber Junior A squad posted a 1-1 won-lost record with a 9-2 victory over Houston and a 5-3 loss against Prince George.
West Fraser Tween A’s posted a perfect 3-0 record. They beat Prince George 9-4, topped Terrace 10-5 and downing Houston Juniors 9-4.
The Tween AA All-Star squad with six Quesnel players defeated Houston juniors 7-2. The Zone 8 Winter Games team (comprised of Quesnel and Prince George players) were edged 4-3 on a last-second goal by Zone 7 (Houston, Terrace).
Tween A’s and Petite A’s are in Langley this weekend at the Spirit of Winter Tournament.
Q.R.A. NEWSLETTER FALL 2007
November 28, 2007 - W. Moorhouse
ICEBREAKER RINGETTE CAMP
The Third Annual Icebreaker Ringette Camp was held in Quesnel from Aug 27 – 31, 2007 at the Twin Ice Arena’s. This year’s camp featured top notch on ice instruction from Dallas Robbins, Devrey Robbins and Kailee Klemmensen all of whom have played at the top levels of our favourite sport, Ringette. Our camp was attended by players from all over the Northern Ringette League including Quesnel, Prince George and Houston. The Icebreaker Camp continues to grow in scope and size from its humble beginnings as a long weekend skills and skating session to this year’s week long camp which included off ice fitness and dance sessions. Thanks to all those whose hard work and dedication to the sport of Ringette made this happen. We’re working on making next year’s Icebreaker camp even better for everyone involved in Ringette.
(Keep checking our website for more info).
GEAR AVAILABLE
Has your child grown this season, need some equipment? We have a selection of Ringette gear available from our pre-season swap/sale. If you need something like bigger skates, elbow or knee pads you can contact your coach, manager or call Lars Nordal @ 747 – 2239.
COMMUNITY TEAM SPONSORS
Once again our community has come through to sponsor our children in Ringette, please tell everyone you see that these are our sponsors. Thanks to all of our sponsors from the players, parents and volunteers of the Q.R.A.
BUNNY - Quesnel River Pulp
NOVICE - Kal Tire
PETITE ‘B’ - Quesnel Legion BR.94
PETITE ‘A’ - Cariboo Ford
TWEEN ‘C’ - Cariboo Pulp
TWEEN ‘A’ - West Fraser
JUNIOR - Dunkley Lumber
BELLE - Marlo Logging
BABES ON BLADES (Sponsored by their loved ones)
FALL RECRUITMENT DRIVE
We presently have about 105 players registered in Ringette, this is down a bit from last year, mainly in the younger age divisions (Bunny/Novice) We are trying to bring those numbers up as this is the future for Quesnel Ringette
So please help us spread the word about RINGETTE.
Word of mouth has proved to be our most effective promotional tool. We ask that each Ringette family pass on the good news about our sport to a couple of other families in your neighbourhood who might like to try Ringette – particularly those 9 years old and under who would be eligible for our Novice or Bunny programs. Someone told you about Ringette – so please do someone else the same favour! It’s a fast, fun, exciting winter sport.
YOUR REWARD: QRA will offer existing members a ‘2008-2009 Referral Credit’ for any new members that they convince to register from November 19th to December 15th (promotion deadline). The credit can only be applied to either 2008-2009 Regular Season Registrations or 2008 Summer Camp (not yet confirmed). There is no cash value to the credit and it cannot be applied to tournament fees or gifted to another QRA member.
- First Time Player Referral Credit (never played Ringette before): $50
- Returning Player Referral Credit (registered with BCRA in past): $30
Note: at time of registration we will ask the new member who it was that referred them to join Ringette. Once the new member pays (and remains registered for the season) a credit for the 2008-2009 season will be set up for the existing member for providing the referral.
PRO-RATED REGISTRATION FEES: for first time or returning members, effective until the end of December:
- Bunny = $120 - Petite to Belle = $215
- Novice = $175 - Masters = $225
COME TRY RINGETTE: interested kids can come and try Ringette (two practices) before paying. We do need to have a completed Registration form on file before they step on the ice. Please contact our Registrar at 747-0605 with questions. Check us out www.quesenlringette.info.
JOY HOFFMAN UPDATE
All of our teams from the Bunnies to our Ladies attended the Joy Hoffman Tournament in Prince George Nov 9 – 11.
A fun weekend was had by everyone and Prince George once again put together an excellent tournament. Quesnel’s Tween ‘A’ team and Petite ‘A’ team both went undefeated to win gold in their respective divisions. For all of the weekends results, see the article from the Quesnel Observer in our websites news section.
BC WINTER GAMES NEWS
The Zone ‘8’ Cariboo Northeast Ringette team selections have been finalized. There are 9 players from Prince George and 7 players from Quesnel; Sydney Kaleta, Amy McMartin, Jessica MacDonald, Jordan Pawluk, Gillian Stauffer, Sarah Melnyk and Erin Wiggins. The coaching staff is comprised of Stacey Brown, Devrey Robbins and Robert Stauffer and the winter games will be held in the Kimberly/Cranbrook area from Feb. 22 – 24th, 2008.
GOLDPAN TOURNAMENT
Our Annual Goldpan Ringette Tournament will take place at the Twin Ice Arenas JAN. 4 – 6th, 2008. There will be lots of fun activities happening in and around the arena that weekend. Pancake breakfast (Sat. Morning), Draw baskets (Filled with goodies for kids of all ages), Esquire clothing will be on hand with Ringette themed shirts/pants etc. and tons of fast, furious Ringette action on the ice.
There will also be a social night/silent auction for those of us 19 or older (You know who you are) at the Quesnel Legion Banquet room right next to the arena on Saturday evening (6 – 11 P.M.). Come on down for some refreshing beverages and snacks. There will be tickets available at the Ringette office or at the door that evening, they are $5 each and this includes entry in multiple draws for fabulous door prizes, appetizers and all the fun you can handle. Do you have any silent auction items to donate? Call fundraising coordinator Lorraine Martell @ 747 – 2828 or bring the items down to the Ringette office and we will make sure they find a loving home (Please include an approximate dollar value and generous benefactors name or business card, Thanks) See our website for more tournament details.
PROVINCIAL ‘A’ UPDATE
For anyone who hasn’t already heard Quesnel will be hosting the ‘A’ Provincial Championships here this season. The Championships will be held at the Twin Ice Arenas from March 14 – 18th, 2008. We will be seeking volunteers to help make this a successful event and also to showcase the Goldpan city to our out of town guests. There could be approximately 40 teams here from all over Beautiful B.C. and we want them to take home fond memories from Quesnel. For more info contact our Tournament Chair, Melinda Moorhouse at (250) – 747 – 1797 or check our website. See you here in March 2008.
Rocking ring stars Petite A’s win division during Joy Hoffman tournament
November 18, 2007 - Quesnel Observer
By - Rachel Stern - Observer Reporter
On the cold ice surfaces in Prince George, Quesnel ringette teams passed their rings to victory, defeat and fun during the Joy Hoffman Tournament last weekend.
Cariboo Ford petite A Cowgirls won their petite division.
They defeated Prince George 5-0 and 7-2 and shut out Terrace 6-0. Later they battled Houston’s tween team, one level above petite, in an exhibition game and lost 11-7. “This year the group is extremely competitive in how they go about playing the game,” petite coach Rob Parisotto said. Parisotto said the skill levels of petite players is due in large part to the Quesnel ringette program and the work everyone has put into it over the years. Several of the players have played in the program since they were young. “It bodes well for our league – all the teams are relatively good,” Parisotto said. “It’s a strong group of girls who are competitive and want to get the ring.” The exhibition game was a challenge. “Some girls were quite a bit bigger than ours and that really provided stiff competition,” Parisotto said.
“They really had to give it all to compete.” Parisotto said they competed at the tournament with only 11 players, which meant everyone had to work hard during the tournament.
When they finally won their games and played their exhibition game, Parisotto said players were running out of gas. Petite A’s next tournament is the Fraser Valley Tournament in Langley Dec. 15. In practice, the team will work on skating, passing, shooting and set systems.
Tween titans
West Fraser tween A’s skated away with an undefeated 4-0 record, claiming first in the tween division.
“We had a good tournament and they are a good bunch of kids,” tween A coach Rob Stauffer said.
Also competing was the zone eight Winter Games team, comprised of players from Quesnel and Prince George. They defeated zone seven, Houston and Terrace, 9-3. “For the first games of the season, it’s coming together well,” Stauffer said.
“We’ll have a few more practices and games before participating in the Northern Winter games in Kimberly-Cranbook in 2008.
Stauffer said the tournament game was their first of the season and they didn’t even get to practice first. “It was a good opportunity to see how they played.
Cariboo Pulp tween C’s faced defeat during the tournament, but Stauffer said for some players it was their first game
and their first tournament. “They did absolutely fantastic,” Stauffer said. “They lost all of their games but three were real nail biters.”
Beautiful belles
The Marlo Logging belle team defeated Prince George 5-4 in a shootout, tied Kelowna 11-11 and lost 10-8 to Terrace. Coach Al Armstrong said the tournament presented some problems because they didn’t have a regular goaltender and they only had eight players on the roster. He said the shootout was definitely a highlight of the tournament. Katherine Armstrong shot first and scored. Then Prince George sent their skater towards Quesnel’s net, but a quick save by stand-in goaltender Justine Black saved the day. Pam Milsom tallied the last and winning shot for Quesnel, sealing their victory. Armstrong said Black did an awesome job in net. “The girls as a whole played well,” Armstrong said. One challenge with the short bench was everyone playing out of position. “Their team play was excellent and they rallied around each other and never quite,” Armstrong said. “It was just a real good weekend. ”In practice, belles are working on fundamentals and strategies.
Ring stars
Quesnel River Pulp bunnies tied Terrace 4-4 and lost two games to Prince George.
Kal Tire novices lost all three of their games, but had two very close 3-2 contests against Prince George.
Legion petite B’s tied Terrace 2-2 and Prince George 8-8. They defeated Houston 8-4.
Dunkley Lumber juniors won 4-1 and 7-4 against Houston and lost two games 3-0 and 7-4 to Prince George.
Babes on Blades ladies team won 8-2 and lost 7-6 and 5-2 against Prince George.
Most of the Quesnel ringette teams will face their competition at the Houston Tournament in early December. For information on Quesnel ringette visit the Quesnel Ringette Association website, www.quesnelringette.info..
Quesnel Campers go back to school
September 5, 2007 - Quesnel Observer
By - Rachel Stern - Observer Reporter
Quesnel Ringette Association threw the rings on the ice and warmed up for the new season during their Icebreaker Ringette Camp last week.
Coaches Dallas Robbins, Devrey Robbins and Kailee Klemmensen, B.C. national ringette players and members of the Calgary Rath ringette team, led the ice action and instruction. They taught players basic skills of skating, passing, positioning and communication skills. “The two younger groups were awesome,” Dallas said. “They listened very well and took the feedback and tried to correct themselves.” The coaches said Quesnel has a great ringette society and great players.
“The players respect themselves, their coaches and their teammates,” Devrey said. “The girls aren’t full of attitude, especially the younger girls and it’s nice to be with girls who want to learn.”
Camp organizer and ringette association treasurer Lars Nordal said the association is trying to expand their camp.
“We want to make our camp a destination for kids and central and northern B.C.,” Nordal said. We’re starting this year – we have seven players from Houston and five from Prince George.” So far Nordal said feedback from out-of-town parents has been positive. Shane Hilts from Houston said he likes the convenient location of the arena. It’s close to the downtown restaurants so they can grab a bite to eat at lunch and dinner. He also said it’s an easier travelling distance. He usually takes his children to camps in the Lower Mainland and Alberta so it’s nice to have a developing camp in the Interior.
President of the Houston Ringette Association Gail Sweet said they attend camps every year. “It’s nice to have a camp in the area. It’s close and we should always support it if it’s in the north,” she said. Planning for the camp begins early in April and Nordal said it takes a lot of dedicated volunteers to put it together.
Nordal said Colleen and Rob Stauffer, Kevin Therrien, Austin Smith, Lorraine Martell, Jackie Richert, Judy Young, Sonia Rausse and himself have worked hard behind the scenes to make the camp happen. Last year the camp was three days and on the long weekend, but the association received feedback from parents that it was too rushed prior to school beginning.
They moved it to the week before Labour Day weekend, which allowed them to expand the camp to a week. They also changed the program this year to include some off the ice dance conditioning training. Nordal is happy with the way the camp is developing and said if they can continue to expand it and attract new attendees they could be a convenient location for interior and northern interior ringette players to train.
Besides the expansion of their camp QRA has another achievement to celebrate this year. QRA has received approval from the B.C. Ringette Association to host A provincials this year at Twin Arenas. Organizer Melinda Moorhouse said it’s an excellent opportunity to not only showcase the sport of ringette to the Quesnel community but to showcase the Quesnel community to attending teams and visitors. A provincials are slated for March 14-18, unless there are changes to ice time. “We are very excited to host the A’s,” Moorhouse said. “I invite the Quesnel community to come out and watch some of the games.” Quesnel Ringette society has never hosted A provincials before. Previous years, they’ve hosted B provincials. Instead of an opening ceremonies Moorhouse has decided to host an open house. People can come to the arena and watch some exhibition games and she’s inviting local crafters to showcase their work. There will be karaoke and other fun. Moorhouse said all the ice using organization were flexible and helpful when they approached them about hosting the provincials and booking ice time. “All the ice-users, Millionaires, minor hockey, figure skaters have worked with us and we’ve worked around them as well,” Moorhouse said. Moorhouse said provincials have the ability to bring a lot of teams, coaches, referees and parents into the community, which is a lot of money going into the local economy.
She said if they had an extra third ice surface they could host the A, B and C provincials and not inconvenience any ice users.
Quesnel Ringette Association awarded 2008 "A" Provincials
July, 10 2007 - BCRA
BC Ringette is very pleased to announce that the Quesnel Ringette Association has been selected to host the 2008 "A" Provincial Championships. Congratulations to Quesnel President Austin Smith, Host Chair Melinda Moorehouse and the rest of their organizing team. The 2008 "A" Provincials will be held from March 14-18th, 2008.
B.C. Ringette honours Verbonac - Volunteer receives second officiating award
By RACHEL STERN
Observer Reporter
June 03, 2007
There are always individuals who seem to go beyond what is asked of them. They give their time, share their knowledge freely with anyone who asks and encourage others to do the same. B.C. Ringette Association recently awarded Garth Verbonac Senior Official of the year award for his work in Quesnel's ringette community.
"He deserves it," Quesnel Ringette Association president Austin Smith said. "His knowledge is an unbelievable asset to our organization and he puts everything towards the kids and the game." Past president Melinda Moorhouse agrees with Smith and said Quesnel Ringette Association is proud to have Verbonac as an executive member. "We're lucky to have him as a ref for our organization," Moorhouse said.
"Garth has been a member of B.C. Ringette Association for many years. This is where many of us got to know and love Garth as a person with great knowledge of this wonderful sport of ringette as well as a ref in many of our children's games." It's the second time Verbonac's received the award, last time was in the late 90s. "I took it as an honour for the good job and as an appreciation of the effort I was giving," Verbonac said. "We don't get paychecks so this is kind of like our Christmas bonus for doing a good job." Fifty-four-year-old Verbonac has a level 3B ticket and can officiate every level but all-star. Verbonac puts in intense hours when he refs tournaments in the Interior and the North. "You get five hours of sleep at night and then the rest of the time is spent at the rink," he said.
Quesnel's ringette season goes through those intense weekends and then there are long breaks between the travelling or hosting tournaments. Verbonac said in the Lower Mainland there would be two games a week plus tournaments. But because of the distances between ringette associations in the North, most are jammed into one weekend. Besides reffing games, Verbonac evaluates other officials.
Melinda Moorhouse photo
Wayne Moorhouse, left, presents Garth Verbonac with his Senior Official award on behalf of Quesnel Ringette Association.
One of the draws of reffing ringette for Verbonac is players are still playing to have fun. "They play the sport because they love the sport," Verbonac said. "The main reason I like the sport so far is it doesn't have a win-at-all-cost attitude." Verbonac sees this attitude rising in many sports, especially hockey. "When you ref hockey it can be a win-at-no-cost attitude and it can be dirty, chippy and violent," he explained. Verbonac said he sees that attitude more and more in junior hockey. In the past, Verbonac said hockey wasn't like that. "It was fun to officiate," he said. Verbonac started reffing in 1994. He was officiating junior hockey in Nanaimo and ran into two high school friends. They told him they were reffing ringette and he should try it. Verbonac's worn the ringette stripes ever since.
New Additions to Quesnel Ringette Association Executive 2007-08
The Quesnel Ringette Association held its annual AGM on March 30th, 2007. Seven new executive members were added to the committe. These are: Kevin Therrien (Vice-President), Lars Nordal (Treasurer), Sandie Eby (Secretary), Colleen Stauffer (Registrar), Alan Armstrong (Gold Pan Tournament Coordinator), Judy Young (Player Development Coordinator) and Garth Verbonac (Referee Coordinator).
A special thanks goes out to Carrie Blennerhassett, Ruth Campbell, Donna Davis and Frank Zipser who contributed several years of dedicated service to the executive and the Quesnel Ringette Association. A thank you also goes out to Stacey Willson, who was our Registrar last year.
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