There’s a few young Semiahmoo Peninsula hockey players likely brushing up on their French these days.
The Semiahmoo Ravens U13 A1 team is headed to Quebec in February.
Invited to play at the Quebec Peewee International Hockey tournament Feb. 7 to 18 in Quebec City, Quebec, this year marks the third time in the past six years the Ravens U13 A1 team has been invited to play.
Led by coaches Matt Erhart and Shane Kuss, Semiahmoo Ravens Hockey executive director Scott Ackles said the tournament is big news for the organization.
“It’s a really big deal if you get asked to go… this is a huge deal for the players, coaches and the parents,” Ackles said, noting the historic event has hosted hockey legends including Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
“The experience, for the kids, will be unbelievable.”
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This year marks the 64th time the tournament has been held, with teams all over the world competing at Videotron Center and Pavillon de la Jeunesse.
For more information on the tournament, visit the website.
This year, players in the Semiahmoo Ravens Hockey association have bounced back to nearly, if not the same, as pre-COVID numbers, Ackles said, noting there’s more than nine hundred players and 60 teams this year, compared to 58 last year.
With rep and house teams representing White Rock and South Surrey hockey players from seven years old and younger up to U21, Ackles said their association is the third largest in the province.
“Our biggest challenge is finding enough ice,” he said, echoing Surrey Eagles co-owner Ron Brar, who appeared before council in December to urge them to consider a multiplex sports facility with at least three sheets of ice for South Surrey.
“Currently members spend 70 per cent of their time at rinks outside this community,” Ackles said, from Delta and North Surrey to Newton, Cloverdale and Langley.
With playoffs coming up for the league, as well as its Scotiabank March Madness tournament, presented by Buy Low Gas, Ackles is focused on building community support for the organization, which relies largely on volunteers.
Visit the organization’s website at semiahmooravens.ca