A trio of 100 Mile House girls helped win a hockey tournament in Kamloops for the U15 female Thompson Blazers last month.
Sisters Maielle Briggs and Shia Briggs and their friend Savannah Bissat all played key roles during the tournament held in Kamloops from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19. Throughout five intense games they said their team was able to claw its way to victory which they said was an exhilarating experience.
The Briggs have both been playing hockey for several years now, getting their start with 100 Mile Minor Hockey before playing for rep teams in Williams Lake and Kamloops. Shia, 12, has been playing hockey since she was six while Maielle got into hockey at eight, after her sister got sick one year and her team had a spot open. Both sisters are former members of the 100 Mile Skating Club and said they developed a love for hockey from a young age.
"I just really like the skating and the competition and I like how it's also got contact," Maielle said.
Shia meanwhile enjoys making new friends and the challenge of competing against other players. Every other year the two will be on the same team together, with Shia often playing up to be on the same team as Maielle, as she currently is with the Blazers. She is the youngest player on the team by far at 12 but makes up for it with speed and skill.
"It's really fun to play together. It's sometimes annoying but still fun," Shia said.
The two were happy to welcome Bissat to the Blazers this year, who plays as one of the team's goalies. Like the Briggs sisters, Bissat has been playing hockey for most of her life and got her start in 100 Mile House. She noted she enjoys playing with her friends and winning. She has played with Maielle and Shia on several teams in the past.
"I enjoy (having them on the team). I like having someone I know from the start to play with," Bissat remarked.
The trio travels to Kamloops to practice with the team twice a week and further afield for tournaments. They explained they tried out for the Blazers due to the higher quality of hockey they get to play as compared to in 100 Mile House.
During the tournament the three had a ton of fun playing together, explaining the Blazers had an unlikely path to victory. Bissat said it originally looked like they were going to be playing for fifth when they tied one of their last games before the finals, but because they scored more goals than their opponents they were bumped up to compete for first.
"There were eight teams in the whole tournament but I think we played four or five different teams," Maielle remarked. "I was very scared because there was a Double-A team from Alberta there and all the Lower Mainland teams. But we ended up beating them."
All three girls played during the semi-finals with Bissat remarking it was a scary game to be in goal. Maielle said her personal highlight was during the semi-finals against the Kelowna Rockets when she was able to score the game-tying goal. She explained she was by the opposing team's net so when she got the puck she was able to shoot it just over the goalie's shoulder.
Shia meanwhile said she enjoyed getting MVP for one of the games and scoring four points for her team throughout the weekend. She said as a smaller girl it can be intimidating going up against much larger players but enjoys the challenges, noting she plays winger. With a laugh, Maielle remarked her sister gets thrown around a lot.
Maielle, meanwhile, is something of a jack of all trades playing defence, winger and centre as the team requires.
During the finals against Richmond, only the Briggs played, with Bissat being subbed out for their other goalie. In their first game against Richmond, Maielle said they were defeated 5-2 and it was a scary and physical game. One of Richmond's players had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher so they still held a grudge against the Blazers when they faced one another in the finals.
"I was really scared of this one player, their captain number eight, because in four games she scored 14 points. She's very good and I was just really scared," Maielle remarked, Shia adding there was a lot of chirping throughout the finals.
Despite this the Blazers persevered and ended up winning the game 3-2, scoring two goals in a single minute. Shia said she almost balled her eyes out when she realized they were going to win and made sure to keep the puck on the boards for the last 30 seconds of the game.
"That was the first time we got into a gold medal game this year so I was praying we were going to win," Maielle remarked.
Bissat agreed, adding "it feels really good to add another banner to Kamloops."
The trio will continue to play for the Blazers for the rest of the season and hope to notch another victory on their belts before the year is out.
