Strathmore U15 Storm headed to Richmond

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Storm U15 girls’ hockey team is headed to Richmond, B.C. to compete and hopefully bring home a trophy.

According to Jodi Vanderlaan, coordinator for the team, it’s a first for the team to be travelling so far to compete, but everyone is excited to test their mettle.

“It is very exciting. It doesn’t happen very often where you get to go on tournaments that are quite a distance. Normally we do close ones in Alberta so this will be a treat for all of them,” said Vanderlaan. “Our team hasn’t ever done anything like this. We did a tournament in Okotoks, but with Strathmore Minor Hockey, each year the teams change so it’s up to the manager and coaches to find tournaments.”

The Richmond Ravens Tournament, hosted annually, is a strictly female tournament which sees over 1,000 players competing from across 75 teams between novice and U18 levels.

“It’s huge, which is good for (the girls) because usually tournaments bring in lots of people and the players themselves … I haven’t seen a tournament this big,” said Vanderlaan.

The initial concern for the team was being able to get to Richmond in the first place, given the cost of the trip and the environmental challenges seen in BC during 2021.

The Strathmore Storm took to bottle drives, sponsorships and raffles, among other ideas to raise the money they needed for the trip.

To the gratitude of the team, sponsorships alone covered the costs of bussing. Over the course of their fundraising efforts for tournaments, the girls have raised over $8,000 in order to compete.

“It’s going to be different for us because we’ve never played the teams that we’re going up there for. We’re playing a Washington team, we’re playing a Victoria team, a Richmond team and a Nanaimo team,” said Vanderlaan. 

During their regular season, the Strathmore Storm U15 girls’ team had a uniquely challenging season, due to their small roster of 12 players. 

Despite this, Vanderlaan said the girls played exceptionally and played almost to the top of the home league. 

“We made it with our small roster and a goalie quitting to the second-last set of playoffs, which is pretty huge for our girls,” said Vanderlaan. “The girls aren’t (feeling intimidated), they’re super excited to go. They played their hearts out this year (and) one thing they gained by having such a small roster is their endurance on the ice.”

The team boasts a year to date record of 18-10-4 on the ice. 

The team is guaranteed four games while in Richmond and the top two teams will compete on March 20 to determine the tournament winner.