North Shore Winter Club announces the first female team to represent B.C. at Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament
Vancouver, BC (Jan. 23, 2024) - The North Shore Winter Club (“NSWC”) today announced that the U13 –A1 female hockey team (“Winterhawks”) will be the first all-female team from Western Canada to play in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament taking place from February 7 – 18, 2024, in Quebec City.
The 64th annual Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is the most prestigious minor hockey tournament in the world and is considered to be the unofficial “World Championship” of U13 Pee-Wee Hockey. 120 teams from 18 countries participate each year, and the tournament’s first female division was created in 2023 in the tournament’s 63rd year and featured teams from Canada, United States, France, England, and Switzerland.
The NSWC U13 female hockey team consists of fifteen, 11 and 12-year-old girls that currently sit in first place in the PCAHA Tier 1 U13 league. They are coached by Karen Kos, a professional skating coach and team parent who has coached the girls since they were six years old.
“This has been a long-time dream for our NSWC team. Many of the girls started playing together when they were very young,” said Karen Kos, Head Coach, U13 Female Pee-Wee A1 Team. “Before there was even a female division at the Quebec tournament, we had seeded the idea of one day representing B.C. at this international tournament. We are incredibly proud of these girls.”
The Winterhawks first game is on Friday, February 9, against the Suisse Romande Chouettes from Switzerland.
“The U13 female Winterhawks are consistently one of the top U13 teams in B.C. As a result of their hard work, they will now have an opportunity to not only play against some of the best teams in the world their age, but also to create a path for girls’ hockey teams from B.C. to have these opportunities in the future,” said TC Carling, COO & General Manager, North Shore Winter Club.
The costs of travel, accommodation and training for the families involved are significant, and the team has received tremendous support from the community through corporate sponsorship, raffles, bake sales and car vacuuming. As part of a final fundraising push, they are also:
- hosting a ticketed “send-off party” on the evening of Saturday, January 27th at the Lynn Valley Legion.
- running an online public auction with a range of donated items including “A Private Shooting and Stickhandling Lesson with NHL Star and NSWC Alumni, Connor Bedard”.
Visit www.32auctions.com/NSWCU13GirlsAuction2024 to view auction items.
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is 11 days long and was originally created to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, celebrating both sport and Canadian culture. The Quebec Tournament has been described as hockey’s version of the Little League World Series, past players include Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid.
About the North Shore Winter Club
Founded in 1958, the North Shore Winter Club (NSWC) is an esteemed family athletic club serving the Greater Vancouver Area. Ideally nestled at the base of Mountain Highway, just north of Vancouver’s Second Narrows Bridge, the NSWC is home to a rich history of hockey, swimming, racquet sports and fitness. The NSWC has been a prominent, and award winning symbol of British Columbia’s proud tradition of inclusive fitness, overall family fitness, and a warm and welcoming social environment for over six decades. For more information, visit www.nswc.ca .