Toques and mittens will be as important on the equipment checklist as mouth guards and cleats when the South Delta Sun Devils head to Kelowna next week for the provincial "AAA" girls field hockey championships.
For the first time in recent memory, the 16-team tournament returns to the Okanagan where sub zero temperatures can come into play.
It means being well equipped especially for morning games slated to start at 8 a.m. However, longtime South Delta head coach Neil McLennan is not overly concerned about the possibility of frigid conditions and suggests it may even be an improvement over the typical wet weather each year in Burnaby.
"The worst possible weather you can be playing in is a steady driving rain and we have definitely had our share of it over the years," he said. "The girls are cold and wet which makes it very difficult. You're not going to see that kind of rain up there and playing in the cold isn't really a factor if you are prepared for it."
The Sun Devils will be seeded second after successfully defending their title at last week's Fraser Valley Tournament in Coquitlam, where they defeated Heritage Woods 1-0 in the championship game.
A first half goal from Caitie Brown was all the Devils would need although they generated many more scoring chances with three shots finding the framework.
Junior national team member Emma Mackie was dominant in midfield, while goaltender Ayla van Agertan was solid in earning the shutout, with excellent defensive work in front of her.
Earlier, South Delta opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over Port Moody, then rolled past Glen Eagle 6-0.
"The girls were the best team at the tournament and while we may have played a little below our full potential in the final game, we did what really good teams do...recognize when they are not playing well and then dig in a little deeper and still find a way to get the necessary result," added McLennan. "That is exactly what they did.
"There was enough pride in the group not let the (Fraser Valley) trophy slip away."
A year ago, the Sun Devils had what many considered to be the best opportunity in school history to win their first-ever provincial title, only to lose a quarter-final heartbreaker in penalty strokes to West Vancouver. They have wasted little time getting right back in the gold medal hunt again.
"There are about five or six teams that could win this and we are one of them," McLennan.
"We should get a favourable draw being the second seed but that's as long as we do what we have to do in pool play."
The championships start next Wednesday.
