In The News
July 5th, 2010
Team Pacific spring program finds formula for success
By Tom Kerr
They did it once, and now they’ve done it again. The Team Pacific Spring female hockey program recently wrapped up its second season, and by all accounts the program has come up with a formula that works.
The Team Pacific program, unique for placing emphasis on individual skill development over tournament play, expanded this year to include a Midget AAA team alongside its Bantam and Peewee AAA teams. Head Coach Jeff Eaton again sought-out the top female players playing in male and female hockey programs throughout the province, and put the players through a rigorous training program involving an average of five on-ice practices every two weeks, as well as off-ice fitness training and skill development.
Although the tournament play was considered a bonus, the scoresheets suggest that the Team Pacific training program is working.
At the recent North American Hockey Classic in Winnipeg, the Bantam team captured its second gold medal of the season with a 5-0 win over the Manitoba Bisons, while the Midget team won the championship final with a 3-2 triple overtime win over the Manitoba Battalion. The Peewee team lost in the final 5-3 to the Winnipeg Royals.
Among those taking in the Team Pacific games was Brian Frykas, tournament director of the North American Hockey Classic.
“I think it’s a very well run program, and now the program is getting noticed,” said Frykas.”
This is the second year I have seen the teams in action, and they have done extremely well.
The Peewee and Bantam teams won it all last year, and the Bantam and Midget teams won championship games, this year. They always play a strong team game, and that includes moving the puck really well, which comes back to good coaching. But I think the overall success is really the program itself.”
Eaton commented on the success of the program in its second year.
“We’re thrilled that our program has enjoyed success two years in a row, and that we’ve continued to produce teams that can compete nation-wide,” he said. “The key has been our strong focus on individual skill development, and this is what is really unique about our women’s Spring program. We improve the skills of individuals, then put them together to play as a team, and it seems to work. If you provide an athlete with structure and a good plan, you can have success, and we’ve managed to achieve that two years in a row.”
While new spring hockey programs seem to come and go each year, Eaton maintains that the Team Pacific program is here to stay.
“Everyone keeps asking if we are going to do this again next year. The answer is, ‘yes.’ We’re not satisfied with where we are at and we want to continue to improve the program and get stronger,” said Eaton. We received great feedback from representatives from NCAA Division 1 schools, but still, we think we can continue to get better and better.” Plans for next year include expanding the program to include Atom, Peewee, Bantam Minor, and Bantam Major teams, as well as two Midget teams.
May 15. 2009
Spring Hockey – Team Pacific Brings girls’ game to new heights
By / Tom Kerr
Although girls’ hockey has been one of the fastest growing sports in Canada in recent years, in many ways, female players have been left out of the action. In BC, this recently changed with the creation of the Team Pacific Program.
Jeff Eaton, from The Advantage Hockey Development, created the Team Pacific Program in 2009. The program currently features a Bantam and a Peewee team. Eaton described the need for the program.
“The girls have been left out. They had to go and play boys’ hockey during the Spring season if they wanted to travel and play at an elite level.”
The Team Pacific rosters include a fairly equal mix of girls who play boys’ and girls’ hockey during the winter season.
According to Eaton, Team Pacific is a program and not just a Spring team thrown together to participate in a couple of tournaments.
“We have tried to create an environment where girls can train together for 10 months of the year and then come together as a team that can compete in high calibre, out-of-province tournaments. We have a strong skill development component, which can include up to three practices per week, as well as off-ice fitness training components including hiking, yoga, and spinning classes.”
The two Team Pacific squads were recently put to the test at the Quebec Women’s Prospect Challenge that took place in Laval, Quebec from May 1 to 3. The tournament featured elite teams from Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. The Team Pacific squads surprised many spectators by going undefeated through round-robin play and finishing first overall in their divisions.
The teams were very strong defensively, with the Peewee team allowing only one goal against in five games, and the Bantam team allowing just four goals in five games. Both teams won their semi-final playoff games but lost in what were close final championship games. The Peewee team lost 1-0 to the Connecticut Yankees, while the Bantams lost 3-1 to Wave Platinum from Southern Ontario.
Eaton summed up the team’s success.
“After playing against some of the strongest female teams in North America, it is clear that if you want to compete with the best, you have to recruit the very best from around the Province of British Columbia. It is very unusual for a female team from BC to come to an elite tournament and beat teams from Quebec, Ontario, and the U.S. However, I feel that our teams are unique because we went out and selected the top female Bantam and Peewee players playing in girls’ and boys’ hockey.”
The Team Pacific squads are now setting their sights on the North American AAA Hockey Classic tournament that will take place in Winnipeg from June 11 to 14. The tournament will feature teams from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the US. The Team Pacific coaches are already looking beyond this season and will be hosting an Under-14 identification camp from August 10 to 14. Further details can be found at www.theadvantagehockey.com
