An ice rink seems the perfect opportunity to escape the Okanagan-Shuswap summer heat.
It's a place where ringette players feel right at home...in the winter months. But summertime?
A few parents in the Okanagan turned the dream of organizing a team to compete in a summer tournament overseas a reality.
The Okanagan 97s ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ made up of 16, U16-aged players from the Thompson Okanagan Ringette League ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ competed in the Lion's Ringette Cup in Helsinki, Finland, Aug 1-3.
The team was named after the Okanagan highways ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ Highway 97, 97A, 97B ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ that connect the players' communities: Blind Bay, Salmon Arm, Armstrong, Vernon, Lake Country, Kelowna, West Kelowna.
"The regular ringette season ended in April, but this team practiced together once a week, April to July, preparing to compete abroad," said Carmen Larsen, one of the coaches for the 97s. "The players, aged 14 to 16, who were usually playing on opposing teams, joined together for this once in a lifetime opportunity to compete together across the globe."
Okanagan 97s started their adventure leaving Vancouver on July 26, and headed first to Stockholm, Sweden, where they toured the city and played an exhibition game. They then boarded the Silja Line Cruise with 15 other Canadian teams (750 Canadians in total) to make the trek across the sea and ocean to Helsinki.
They played another exhibition game, and the next day boarded a ferry to explore Tallinn, Estonia, for a day. After exploring Helsinki, it finally came time for the reason for the trip, the Lion's Ringette Cup, Aug 1-3. There were 12 teams in the U16 division, six from Canada, and six from Finland.
The other teams from Canada were from Regina, Montreal, Ottawa, Charlottetown, and Spruce Grove, Alta.
The Okanagan 97s came out strong with all wins against the Finland teams they played in the round robin. They made it to semi-finals with the top four teams. Despite a hard fight, they lost both their semi-final and final games to finish fourth out of 12.
Both losses were 4-2 results against Canadian teams. The 97s lost their semifinal to the eventual Cup champions, Canada Stars from Spruce Grove, who snapped a 2-2 tie with a pair of late goals.
Scoring for the Okanagan were Alexa Stoochnov and Peyton Siedmann, with Reese Bailey and Kaylee Lissa drawing assists.
In the third-place game, the 97s were beaten by the PEI Smashers. Lily Jensen, set up by Eve Russouw, and Zoe Crocker scored for Okanagan.
The Stars defeated Montreal's Chicks Original 9-4 in the championship.
Adding to the challenge, tournament rules prohibited teams from warming up with rings on the ice ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½” a major adjustment for the Canadian squad. Even so, goaltender Kielee Ingram produced exceptional saves game after game, and keeping the skaters in every battle. Her steady play and resilience under unusual conditions earned her the teamÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s tournament MVP honours.
"The long journey home started Aug. 4 with tired bodies but full hearts," said Larsen. "Hearts full of great memories, and gratefulness, for being able to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity."
Huge thank yous were sent out to the coaches, Kim Bailey, Larsen, Niko Siedmann and Gary Lissa.
Okanagan 97s players included Alexa Stoochnoff, Amber Neil, Andi Szudek, Elianna Hopkinson, Eve Russouw, Isley Ainslie, Jordyn Torrens, Kaylee Lissa, Kielee Ingram, Lily Jensen, Madison Hodkinson, Peyton Siedmann, Pyper Drew, Reese Bailey, Riley Forwell, and Zoe Crocker.
