A pair of Delta Ringette standouts capped their impressive campaigns at the recent U14 Western Canadian Championships in Regina.
Tsawwassen’s Haeley Keen, 13, and North Delta’s Eva Ekholm, 14, were key members of the U14 Zone team that was also comprised of athletes from Vancouver and Richmond.
The Riptide were coached by Delta Secondary graduate Troy Takaski and his daughters Hailey and Tayah, along with Sarah McDonald, Gino Pastro and Frahan Jamal.
Takasaki has established himself as one of the top coaches in the province and guided the B.C. Thunder the last time it was part of the National Ringette League in 2020.
The trip to the Prairies was earned thanks to a second place finish at last month’s provincials. The Riptide were seeded in a tough round-robin pool group but did manage to finish the four-game schedule with a win against Manitoba.
That set the stage for the seventh place game and one more intense match-up with Team B.C. (Thompson-Okanagan). The Riptide came through with a 3-2 win, avenging a loss in the provincial final.
Keen and Ekholm served as team captains and enjoyed often playing on the same line and working together to create scoring opportunities. They led the team in scoring as the Riptide went undefeated through regular season play to capture the league banner.
Both launched their ringette careers when they were five. Eight years later, there’s no looking back.
Although both girls have excelled in other sports including volleyball, hockey and field hockey, ringette continues to be their focus. They have their eyes set on earning a spot on the U16 Team BC next season, and eventually they’re hoping to participate in the BC Winter Games and Canada Winter Games.
Delta Ringette’s registration for the 2022/23 season will open in May and anyone ages five years and over is invited to give it a try.
For more information visit www.deltaringette.ca.
