Breaking the Ice: The Girls Hockey Trip

9 February 2026Tema BC, Hope '26

After a victorious match against Shawnigan Lake rivals at the Brentwood Hockey Showcase last Saturday night, the girls’ hockey team moved on to even bigger and better things, as they departed to Vancouver for the annual hockey trip. These girls were prepared for a weekend full of bonding and excitement! On the itinerary are hockey games for both the advanced and beginner teams, watching the Canucks vs the Leafs at Rogers Arena, spending sprees at Pacific Centre, all-you-can-eat sushi, and swimming at the hotel pool.

Despite the very early start on Friday morning, everyone made it out of bed, onto the bus, and rode the BC ferries over to the Mainland, arriving to a torrential downpour in Vancouver. The advanced girls’ opened with a match against Little Flower Academy. We dominated with a 4-2 win, with exceptional goals by Rachael H, Emily W, and Julia M. Solena C describes the game as “a tough one”, but says the opponents were no match for Brentwood’s offensive and defensive skill. The rest of the squad were great fans, and cheered their teammates on with shouts and whoops of encouragement.

Next up, it was straight to another rink to play against Kitsilano. Let’s just say this game offered the beginner girls lots of opportunities to practice their defensive skills. The coaches decided it was in the best interest of all the players to transition to a friendly scrimmage with mixed teams for the rest of the time, so the girls got the chance to play alongside and learn from the much more experienced Kits players.

Thoroughly exhausted, the team was rewarded with all-you-can-eat sushi, where everyone feasted and chatted together, and then headed back to the hotel. It is safe to say that not much homework was done during the optional prep time at the hotel; instead everyone took the evening to recover from the intense games and eating a couple too many pieces of sashimi, and to hit up the hotel waterslide.

On the second morning of the trip, the tall sparkling buildings of downtown Vancouver brought about much excitement in contrast to the serenity and farmland of Mill Bay. The girls of Brentwood were let loose to explore the city and get some much-needed retail therapy. We reconvened later that afternoon for the big event of the day: to watch the Vancouver Canucks face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite coach Hacker Teper’s opinion that “both teams suck”, we were on the edge of our seats for what turned out to be a thrilling game that ended with the Leafs winning in a shootout after overtime, and it was a great end to a weekend full of hockey, bonding, and fun!

Thanks to Mr HT and all the other coaches who gave up so much of their time and energy to make this trip a wonderful adventure.

Tema BC, Hope ‘26

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