It’s been quite the season for the Semiahmoo Ravens U13 A1 team.
The South Surrey-based minor hockey squad are this season’s B.C. champions, after winning at provincials in Vernon last week (March 20), after a season where they went undefeated in regular season and playoff games, were Remembrance Day Classic and West Coast Classic winners, and made it to the final of a prestigious Quebec tournament against the No. 1-rated U.S. team.
“It was a nice way to cap off the whole season,” said U13 head coach Matt Erhart, giving credit to assistant U13 coach Shane Kuss as well as the entire team and their families.
“We are extremely proud… we actually never ended up losing a game to any team from B.C. all year,” Erhart said.
READ MORE: Semiahmoo U13 A1 Ravens make it to final game of pee-wee hockey tourney
The provincial tournament saw the teams – the top two from the Lower Mainland and top squad from each zone (i.e. Interior, North, Island etc.) – compete against each other in round-robin play before the final, which pitted the Semiahmoo Ravens against a North Vancouver team.
The Ravens, who won five games and had one tie in the round robin, beat the North Shore Winter Club team 7-1 for the win.
Erhart noted when they played against the same team previously, the scores have been much closer.
“We just kind of got a lead and kept it going,” he said.
Most of the team – 14 players – will move up to the U15 division next year, but three players from this year’s team are eligible to return to the U13 A1 squad next season, said Erhart.
“They’ve worked really hard the last few years to get to this point. It’s nice to see all the hard work and dedication pay off at the right time,” he said.
“It was an all-around great season… all the experiences they were able to have this year – those memories will last a lifetime.”