The Tumbler Ridge U15 all-female hockey team returned from Calgary having finished third in their category, behind the Moose Jaw Mavericks and the Hay River Huskies.
Both teams finished with three wins and one tie, but Moose Jaw claimed the top spot with a goal differential of 28, compared to Hay River’s 23.
Tumbler Ridge won two, lost one and tied one, the same as the Spirit River Rangers, but had a higher game differential than the Albertan team.
But for most of the team, how they performed on the ice was far less important than the surprise guest appearance by Maya Gebala.
Maya, who was only released from the hospital less than a week before showing up at the tournament, joined the team at the opening ceremonies, where she was given an official Team Canada jersey, presented by Hockey Canada CEO Katherine Henderson.
Father David says it was an amazing weekend. “It was truly incredible to have Maya take part in Wickfest again this year,” he says. “The laughs, the smiles, and the tears made it unforgettable. I’m so glad we had the chance to come out and surprise the team.”
He says that a while back, he was told the team had made a jersey for Maya and planned to put it on the bench for her. “Instead, I kept it quiet only a select few knew that Maya would be there to fill that jersey herself.”
One of those few was the voice of the Tumbler Ridge raptors Jason Bradley, who accompanied the team on their trip.
He says he found out a few weeks ago that the hope was to have Maya attend. “There was a little bit of information that had to get passed along so that we could make this happen successfully, says Bradley. “I didn’t know if we could make it happen. Once we got the green light it was the hardest thing to keep under wraps.”
He says that at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Maya, along with father David and sister Dalia were hidden in the back corner during the kick off. “Hayley Wickenheiser, introduced our team, brought them up onto stage, and then Maya came out and I probably cried forever.”
And for the rest of the team? “It was absolutely emotional,” he says. “The last time many of her friends had seen her was February 10. So to see that time has gone by, but she came out with a wonderful spirit…it was absolutely amazing. It filled my bucket.”
It was the first of many moving moments at the tournament. “It’s been a big emotional year for all the kids but we were able to pull this off and bring it together,” says Bradley.
He says it wasn’t just the Tumbler Ridge players that were happy to see her. “There’s 86 teams at the tournament, and she’s an inspiration to so many. Other teams wanted photos with her and they wanted to be near her, and say something to support her and she was just so great with everybody and it just it made it a real special night.”
Maya spend the entire weekend at Wickfest, attending all the Tumbler Ridge games.
One of the high points, says Bradley, was when she joined the team on the ice on a sledge. “It was unbelievable. These are jaw-dropping moments that just filled my bucket and everybody else around me. We went through that period where everything was unknown and now to see where she’s at today…? I know she’s got a long road still ahead but it was just wonderful. It was probably the greatest weekend that we’ve had in a long time.”
This is the second time in three years Tumbler Ridge have managed to field a team to play at Wickfest.
“I mean we’re small communities so in order to make a team like this it’s pretty much a shuffle of the deck to try to get as many cards on the table as we can,” says Bradley. “It’s been great. Great support from the community and surrounding area. It takes many people to make this happen.“
He says the team played great against some really great teams. “There was a lot of competition out there this year and that U15 is it’s a different beast.”
Bradley says that the town should take this as a feel good moment and a sign that Maya is on the right path. “We’re gonna have some struggles moving forward, but to see where she’s at now, it just it made my heart melt.“
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
