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Barracudas named association of the year

Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows girls hockey group has doubled in size in six years
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(Contributed) Liam Mostrenko of the Barracudas girls minor hockey association accepts the trophy for Association of the Year in the PCAHA.

The Barracudas have been chosen as the association of the year in the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association.

The Meadow Ridge Female Minor Hockey Association was awarded the Fred Page Memorial Trophy at the PCAHA annual general meeting in Surrey on Sunday.

President Liam Mostrenko was there to accept the honour and said his association had to beat out stiff competition for it.

PCAHA is the governing organization for Minor Hockey in the Lower Mainland, from Hope to the Sunshine Coast. The Barracudas were chosen from among 44 associations.

“It’s a pretty cool achievement,” he said. “They just recognized everything we’ve done to get where we are now. We’ve doubled in size over the last six years.”

Mostrenko said the executive has brought good ideas to grow the association. For example, they just finished three free “Try Hockey” sessions for girls to get a taste of shinny. Mostrenko said there were more than 50 new girls who had never tried the sport, about 11 registered, and they expect that number to rise to 20.

They have kept the costs low for newcomers. Initiation players can join for $199.

The association raises money and has run a successful golf tournament that has raised more than $100,000 over the past six seasons.

The association has grown to 200 girls on 14 teams, from initiation level to juvenile.

In 2015, it had just over 100 registered players.

Mostrenko said the association doesn’t judge success on wins and losses, preferring “to build on a foundation of recreational, fun hockey.”

But the association has won banners at various levels, as well as tournaments.

Last year, the pee wee rep team won the Pat Quinn Tournament in Burnaby, which was the association’s first rep trophy in years.

Next on their calendar is the Barracudas Summer Camp, from Aug. 19-23 at Pitt Meadows Arena.

The late Fred Page was a hockey administrator in Vancouver, president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and who was involved in organizing the Ice Hockey World Championships.

He also served as a director of the sport at the Olympic Games.


 


ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com

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Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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