Williams Lake Timberwolves U18 ‘A’ (formerly Midget Female Rep) closed off the 2019/20 season in an uncharacteristic fashion, in light of the ongoing pandemic restrictions.
The 2019/20 season was ended short of attending BC Hockey Championships in March 2020 when Hockey Canada and BC Hockey shut down the hockey season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team patiently waited for the ease of restrictions to hold the year-end banquet, however, that did not come to pass and year end was finalized using technology.
The 2019/20 season brought about a new playing concept, something that may be a reality with current playing restrictions. Super Weekends were introduced where the five midget ‘A’ teams north of Hope met four weekends throughout the year to play exhibition games in a tournament style weekend in addition to league play.
Travel was vast, covering the distance from Penticton to Vanderhoof and up to Fort St. John.
READ MORE: Organizers move forward with COVID-restricted hockey season in Williams Lake
The 48-game season ended at the Taylor rink on March 8th, 2020. In wrapping up the season, Coach Steve O’Hara said: “Choosing and giving out awards like the following goes against all that we worked towards this season — building and being a team. I am proud of each and every one of you! It is tough to choose just one individual and it was very hard to make the decision for the following presentations.”
The following players were recognized for their achievements: Most Dedicated Player – Alexee Gustafson; Most Improved Player – Gabriela Smith Forzzani; Most Sportsmanlike Player – Sara Vermeulen; and Most Valuable Player – Keira Vermeulen.
The team would like to extend bouquets of gratitude to both Steve O’Hara (head coach for three consecutive seasons) and Kelvin Parent (HCSP for three consecutive seasons) who are moving on to new things for the 2020/21 season.
Thanks also goes to team staff Shane Vermeulen, Randy Riplinger and Jennifer Loewen for the countless hours spent developing the team.
Tryouts for the new season start in early September under new head coach, Grant Gustafson. Gustafson brings with him many years of coaching in multi-sports as well as countless hours working with youth.
We welcome Gustafson and his new coaching staff to the U18 ‘A’ team.
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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