For the first time in 20 years, the Lower Mainland is hosting the Canadian national ringette championships.
All games take place in Burnaby and New Westminster from April 9 to 14. The three venues are Bill Copeland Arena at 3676 Kensington Ave., 8Rinks at 850 Sprott St. and Moody Park at 701 Eighth Ave. in New Westminster.
There will be more than 200 games in six days featuring local u-16AA, u-19AA and 18+AA teams.
One of the featured teams is the Lower Mainland Thunder, led by six-year National Ringette League veteran Julia Scigliano of Burnaby.
The Thunder is the third go-around for a B.C. team in the national elite league, and Scigliano is the only remaining member to have played in all six seasons.
But after 20 years, Scigliano is still looking for her first gold medal.
The Lower Mainland club has been bolstered by the addition of Ontario veteran Jennifer Wakefield and two top Finnish stars.
Defender Heidi Petrell came to Canada with her brother Lennart, who plays with the Edmonton Oilers.
Salla Kyhala is the West's first league scoring champion with 69 goals and 120 points.
Chairperson Randy Wall opened up the championships on Monday morning, noting that the "fastest game on ice" will see 48 teams vying for gold in three divisions.
More than 1,000 athletes will participate, with hundreds of volunteers, coaches and managers giving their time and energy to the tournament.
There are ticket deals for B.C. fans this week.
Weekday passes start at $5, and weekend passes, including the championship final on Saturday, are $20 for two.
For more info, go to www.ringette.ca/crc.
For championship photos, go to our website at www.royalcityrecord. com.
