The Pembina Ringette Association’s U16 Royals gave it their all, but failed to post a win at the Alberta U16 ‘B’ Ringette Provincial Championship.
Hosted by Westlock and Thorhild March 8-10 at the Rotary Spirit Centre and Thorhild Agriplex, the event featured the province’s 12 best U16 teams split into three pools.
The Royals opened the tournament in Thorhild March 8 with an 8-1 loss to Lacombe, followed by a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Indus Lightning later that day in Westlock.
The Royals were back in Thorhild March 9 and dropped at 2-0 decision to Calgary’s BV1 Impact. The club’s season ended later that day following an 8-1 loss to the Strathmore.
In Sunday afternoon’s championship final at the Rotary Spirit Centre, Lethbridge claimed the provincial title posting a 10-6 win over Strathmore. Meanwhile, Hinton won the bronze medal with an 8-3 win over Lacombe.
While they did not advance past the round robin, head coach Norm Brill said he was proud of their performance.
“We hadn’t played a game in over two weeks, but we improved over the weekend,” he said. “Our defence was a lot stronger.”
Royal Jordie Weir said the team learned a lot in the tournament.
She added they need to be more disciplined next year, noting mounting penalty calls slowed them.
“Our penalties got the best of us,” she said. “Our goalie Meagan Barabash stepped it up for us and kept us in.”
Despite the rough ride, the hosts said they heard great things about the Rotary Spirit Centre and the March 8 opening ceremony.
After introducing the teams and bringing them onto the ice, emcee and U10 Tigers head coach Rob Weiss welcomed the fans.
“When I first started coaching, one of my elementary students quipped that ringette was just for girls,” he said.
“I told him if he worked really hard he might be able to keep up with them someday.”
As March 8 was also International Women’s Day, Hope Resource Centre executive director Sylvia Yoder spoke about inclusiveness in sports.
“Balance is not a women’s issue but a collective effort of all who care about human rights,” she said.
“We have never reached anything good by excluding people. We are all needed. Together we can build a world where boys, girls and men and women can achieve their dreams.”
