BC Female Midget AAA Hockey League

The British Columbia Female Midget AAA Hockey League, abbreviated BCFMAAA, is the highest-level provincial women's minor ice hockey league in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is run by the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association (BC Hockey), a member of Hockey Canada and the regional governing body of ice hockey in British Columbia. The league comprises five teams, representing four geographic "zones," and is played over a 32 game regular season. The winning team of the league playoffs has the opportunity to compete for the ESSO Cup, Hockey Canada's National Female Midget Championship.[1]

BC Female Midget AAA Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Founded2007 (2007)
FounderBritish Columbia Amateur Hockey Association
CEOJeremy Ainsworth (interim)
Jen Cheeseman (interim)
No. of teams5
Country Canada
ConfederationHockey Canada
Most recent
champion(s)		Greater Vancouver Comets
(2018–19)
Domestic cup(s)Esso Cup
Official websiteOfficial stats site

About

The BC FMAAA was initiated in the 2007–08 season in response to the membership's desire to provide "an opportunity for elite female hockey players to come together on zone teams to challenge other elite Female Midget teams."[2] It is the women's counterpart of the BC Major Midget League.[3]

Prior to the 2015–16 season, local minor hockey associations were required to host their major midget teams, and oversee them accordingly. Beginning in the 2015–16 season, the oversight of teams and registration of players was centralized under the provincial association, BC Hockey, with the intention of moving toward greater standardization. BC Hockey became responsible for creating the league's schedule, administrating the league's finances, funding and scheduling ice and dryland training, and providing honorariums for team staff. An academic advisor was made available to all teams to educate players about post-secondary options. Through BC Hockey's partner agreements, the FMAAA teams receive support in the form of uniforms, equipment, and team apparel from Bauer Hockey; charter bus transportation from International Stage Lines; and accommodation from Sandman Hotels.[4][5]

Members of the Vancouver Island Seals and their parents registered complaints with the media in April 2019 about the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA) and BC Hockey's handling of the team. Yannick Truter, the Seals' captain during the 2018–19 season, called on BC Hockey to refund the approximately $7,500 the organization collected from each player, after the team was provided only two practice slots for the entire season and four slots for games. They alleged that "without club and parental support, as well as sympathetic local associations and rinks, the team wouldn’t have been able to function." The situation was underscored by the downward trend of VIAHA participation by female players, which decreased from 390 registered players in 2014 to just 260 players five years later.[6]

In January 2020, the league hosted what is believed to be the first female midget AAA outdoor game ever played in Canada. The Northern Capitals hosted the Greater Vancouver Comets for the historic game at Ernie Sam Memorial Arena in Fort St. James, which ended with a 4–0 victory for the Comets.[7]

Teams
Greater Vancouver Zone
Northern
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island
Location of teams in the BC Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

The league comprised five teams in the 2019–20 season: the Fraser Valley Rush, the Greater Vancouver Comets, the Northern Capitals, the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers and the Vancouver Island Seals. Each team recruits players from a distinct geographic zone, with the exception of the Fraser Valley Rush and the Greater Vancouver Comets, which share the Greater Vancouver Zone; prospective players much choose a team to tryout with from the two.

2019–20 season
Team Location BC Hockey Zone Home venue Former name(s)
Fraser Valley Rush Langley Greater Vancouver Langley Sportsplex Fraser Valley Phantom, 2007–2015
Greater Vancouver Comets Coquitlam Greater Vancouver Planet Ice Coquitlam Vancouver Fusion, 2007–2012

West Coast Avalanche, 2013–2015

Northern Capitals Prince George North Rolling Mix Concrete Arena Prince George Cougars, 2008–2013

Northern Cougars, 2013–2015

Thompson-Okanagan Lakers Vernon Okanagan Kal Tire Place Okanagan Rockets, 2008–09

Thompson-Okanagan Rockets, 2009–2014

Vancouver Island Seals Victoria/Campbell River Vancouver Island Various Vancouver Island Hurricanes, 2013–2015

Past participants
  • Kootenay Wild (2015–2017), Kootenay Wildcats (2007–2017), based out of Castlegar in the Kootenay Zone

Notable alumni

Players are noted with their active team during the 2020–21 season.[8]

References
  1. "Fraser Valley Rush – About Us". Fraser Valley Rush. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. "Leagues - About: U18FAAA (U18 Female AAA)". BC Hockey. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  3. Patton, Kristi (February 16, 2015). "Female Midget AAA set to follow in Midget Male AAA footsteps". Hockey Now. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  4. Montroy, Liz (March 11, 2016). "BC's Female Midget AAA Program". Women's Hockey Life. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. "FMAAA Changes for 2015-2016 Season". Independent Sports News. January 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  6. Murray, Nick (April 19, 2019). "Governing bodies accused of 'destroying' girls' hockey by Island's top team". Victoria News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  7. Balzer, Kyle (January 19, 2020). "Northern Capitals, Greater Vancouver Comets take in historic moment for female midget AAA hockey". PrinceGeorgeMatters.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  8. "FMAAA (W) - Where are they now?". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.