South Delta female hockey players with the aspirations of competing at the top level in province now have an option close to home.
The former Vancouver Fusion franchise of the B.C. Female Midget AAA Hockey League now has a new home at the Richmond Olympic Oval where the team has been re-born as the Pacific Ravens.
The club is run by the Richmond Ravens Female Ice Hockey Association but draws talent from everywhere , including 15-yearold Tsawwassen forward Nicole Howlett who got her start in South Delta Minor's girls program. She is currently second in team scoring with two goals and six assists.
The Ravens were previously based out of the Tri-Cities area but were being run by the team's coaches and management. When a number of volunteers from this group wanted to move on, the club's future was suddenly in question.
As a member of the Ravens' executive and having daughters in the elite league, Glenn Budden knew exactly where the franchise should be relocated.
"I told our board there was an opportunity here," recalled Budden. The coaches and management had left and they were basically the backbone of the team. When you see the amount of female hockey players in the Lower Mainland, with the numbers growing, there has to be two teams.
"The Ravens are all about providing every opportunity for their players to succeed so it seemed like a perfect fit."
It took a little convincing but the Ravens executive agreed to take the team on. The franchise gained immediate credibility when ice time for home games was secured at the Oval.
The Ravens currently sit in second place in the five team league with a 5-6-2 record. The other Greater Vancouver franchise is the defending champion Fraser Valley Phantom. They are joined by the Prince George Cougars, Kootenay Wildcats and Thompson/ Okanagan Rockets. The hope is to add a sixth team from Vancouver Island. In the meantime, the Ravens roster feature three Island players who commute to the mainland for practices and games.
That type of commitment suggests just how serious the approach to this league is.
The objective is to prepare these players for university hockey by giving them the ultimate environment to develop as well as extensive exposure. The cost for such a pro-gram doesn't come cheap. Raven players paid $7,000 this season which includes travel, accommodations and meals for all out-of-town league games, as well as trips to Saskatchewan and Calgary for a pair of high-profile tournaments that will be well-attended by university scouts. The coaching is all done by volunteers.
"You don't always draw the best players," said Budden, whose eldest daughter played for the Fusion and now is playing university hockey in Ontario. "Some don't have the marks or the aspirations to play at the next level. Of course, cost is a factor too.
"The biggest draw is the kids getting to play this level at home. They are all committed (to elite hockey) and that's the biggest thing. They come here knowing their parents have paid a lot of money. They come to play for every game and practice."
For more information on the Pacific Ravens visit www.pacificravens.com.
