The Durham West Lightning players were so keen to be among the first teams to compete in the new women’s category of the Tournoi Pee-Wee de Québec that one of them wrote a letter, in French, to the organizers.
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The effort was worth it. A few months later, they wrote a page of history by becoming the first team to engrave their name on the new trophy at the Videotron Center on Sunday. The Ontario team defeated the Atlantics Girls Select, a team from Pennsylvania, 3-1.
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Lightning coach Bob Hunt, who has been involved in women’s hockey for several decades, was still wiping tears after what he described as “historic” victory.
He himself had participated in the 1972 Pee Wee tournament. He had not won then and lost in the semifinals. “I have a strong belief that this category, with teams from Canada, the United States and Europe, will help women’s hockey grow,” said Hunt, who co-manages the Lightning with his daughter Erin, a former college player.
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“Women’s hockey is special,” he said proudly. The girls are fast, talented. They are tough too. You have nothing to envy the boys. »
The author of the letter, Chloe Sandiford, had a crooked smile on her face as she exited the champion’s dressing room, where the players spent minutes celebrating their triumph.
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And it wasn’t just because she’d scored the second goal of the game that would ultimately make the difference in this final.
“In particular, I said that my brother was able to take part in this tournament last year and that it would be very special for us to be able to participate,” said Sandiford.
It’s more than special now. That’s historic, the young player also admitted.