Chilliwack's first ever female U18 rep hockey team skates into history
'We’re going to change the narrative that girls’ hockey lacks talent, isn’t competitive, or is somehow an ‘alternative’ to the real thing'
There’s nothing new about stands full of parents cheering on teenage hockey players at the Chilliwack Coliseum or Sardis Sports Complex (formerly Twin Rinks).
There is, however, something special about a certain group of girls who won a tight pre-season game against a team from Meadow Ridge on Wednesday (Oct. 15, 2025) evening.
The 16 girls who make up the Chilliwack Warriors who eked out that 4-3 win against the Barracudas from down the highway make up the first ever female U18 rep hockey team in Chilliwack.
Video clips from Wednesday's game, including all four goals
“We’re going to change the narrative that girls’ hockey lacks talent, isn’t competitive, or is somehow an ‘alternative’ to the real thing. It’s not. It is real hockey.”
That’s from Chilliwack Minor Hockey Association’s (CMHA) female program director Dale Johnson from a social media post urging girls to come try the sport back in June.
“Our goal is simple: get girls playing female hockey from the start, and keep them in the game by investing in them early, both on and off the ice. Development, opportunity, support. That’s how we grow the game.”
The girls are currently playing pre-season games against other female rep teams in the league, and in two weeks they will participate in the Pacific Coast Female Rep Classic tournament in Richmond, a 48-team all-female event for competitive hockey teams across Western North America.
Up until three months ago, it wasn’t even certain that Chilliwack would have a female U18 rep team. About half the girls on this year’s team played last year on the Abbotsford Ice U18 rep team. When there was early discussion about CMHA starting up a U18 female rep team, there was initially some concern that the program would spread the talent pool in the Eastern Fraser Valley too thinly.
The good news, for Chilliwack at least, is that at the last minute, those behind the Abbotsford female rep team decided not to have a team this year.
As recently as eight years ago, there was no female hockey at all in Chilliwack. Of course, girls are always welcome to lace up to play with the boys and many do, even with the female leagues up and running. But in 2018, the CMHA and some parents came together to revive the female hockey program starting with a U11 team. By 2020, there were two full teams, U11 and U13, and as those girls got older, the game grew and grew.
In 2021, the CMHA hosted the 16-team Ice Breaker Tournament, an all female event.
Rep prep camps for the U18 female rep team were held Sept. 2-4 and the well-attended tryouts ran Sept. 6-9 with the team selected by Sept. 10.
The girls have played several exhibition games with varying success so far leading up to the tournament in Richmond Oct. 24-26. To watch the local girls in action, their next home game is at Sardis Sports Complex against Burnaby on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 5:15 p.m., Rink 1.
-30-
Want to support independent journalism?
Consider becoming a paid subscriber or make a one-time donation so I can continue this work.
Paul J. Henderson
pauljhenderson@gmail.com
facebook.com/PaulJHendersonJournalist
instagram.com/wordsarehard_pjh
x.com/PeeJayAitch
wordsarehard-pjh.bsky.social