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Keis, Massier thrilled with BC Cup experience

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Ava Keis

Ava Keis and Hazel Massier were among the best hockey players and coaches in B.C. selected to participate at the U16 girls BC Cup in 100 Mile House, April 1 – 3.

“These girls are committed athletes,” Massier said.

“These girls are preparing to be elite athletes.”

The camp featured teams from across B.C., including Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Kootenays, the Okanagan and northern B.C.

Keis, who wore the Team North jersey and Massier who was an assistant coach behind the Team North bench, both agreed, participation at the camp was an important learning experience.

“I’m pretty proud,” Keis, a Grade 8 student at Quesnel junior secondary school said of her selection to Team North.

“It’s great competition, I’m just excited to be here.”

At 13 years old, Keis is among the younger players at the U16 camp and admitted the size and skill level of the other players initially caught her off guard.

Undeterred, Keis said her strategy was to simply,” work hard and give it my best.”

Part of that work ethic, Keis explained, was to pay special attention to two  aspects of her game, breakout passes and shooting.

“Maybe hit the net when I shoot,” Keis said poking fun at herself.

The three day camp provided the girls with the opportunity to compete at a high performance level, but also provided the girls with training and education away from the ice.

“On and off the ice they are working on their game,” Massier said.

“Including fitness, nutrition and mental preparation.”

Of course, another benefit of such a camp is the camaraderie.

“I’m having fun with all of my teammates,” Keis said.

“We all get along really well.”

When asked what she and her Team North teammates talked about away from the rink, Keis gave the quintessential response for a teenager.

“Stuff,” she said with a giggle.

As for a hockey player she admires, Keis points to Jerome Iginla, captain of the NHL Calgary Flames, but not for his skill or his skating ability.

“He’s not with a very good team this year, but he still tries his hardest,” she said.

That type of perseverance, Massier said, came to typify the character of Team North at the BC Cup.

“We may not have the numbers to chose from that other zones have, but our opposition always knew they were in for a battle if they wanted to beat Team North,” she said.

Indeed Team North did not have the best results at the BC Cup. 

They finished the weekend with a record of 1-3, including a tough 10-0 loss to Team Greater Vancouver and a 5-1 loss to Team Okanagan.

Despite the tough games, the Team North players showed great character, Massier said.

The lone win for Team North came in the consolation game for fifth place against Team Kootenays.

The final match of the weekend for Team North turned out to be an end-to-end affair, Massier said, a game in which the players were expressly told to have fun.

The lead changed hands several times, but in the end Team North prevailed and skated away with a 7-6 win.

Massier, a member of the Quesnel Sports Hall of Fame and coach for local and regional hockey teams, looked beyond the scores and said she was thrilled to be asked to participate at the BC Cup.

“I got to work on my coaching skills and learn how to help these kids improve their skills,” Massier said.

Like Keis, Massier was not familiar with all of the players on the bench and that, she said, posed an important challenge for her.

“Trying to get these girls organized, to play as a team, in a few days without really knowing them,” she said.

“Trying to get them to work as a team with just one 45-minute practice is hard.”

An important skill for any coach, is knowing the abilities of each player and pairing players whose skills work well together.

However, BC Cup regulations stipulate coaches must change their line combinations every game.

“We really don’t know what to expect from a line until we put them out there,” Massier said.

The line juggling, Massier explained, had several functions.

First it allowed for the true evaluation of a player’s ability in the absence of the halo effect.

That is, some players make other players look better.

Another important function of line juggling is forcing players to learn to communicate with each other.

“Most of them don’t know each other, so they have to communicate to know where each other is to be able to play as a team,” Massier said.

But with some team building exercises and a common goal, the players on Team North bonded quickly.

“The strength of this team grew over the short time they were together,” Massier said.

“A tribute to their positive attitudes and hard work on and off the ice.

“They never gave up which made for a successful weekend for all.”