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Female Hockey: Canada's Olympic gold medal inspires Fraser Valley girls

Chilliwack's Ryann Allenby and Tamina Kehler were on the edge of their seats watching Canada beat the United States in Sochi, Russia.
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Girls' hockey is underway in Mission

by Eric Welsh

Contributor, Black Press

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Ryann Allenby and Tamina Kehler rode waves of emotion Thursday morning as they watched the final minutes of the Canada-United States Olympic women's hockey game.

Canada would go on to win the game in overtime on a Marie-Philip Poulin snipe, but when the Chilliwack teenagers started watching their heroes were down 2-0 and appeared destined for defeat.

"It was really depressing because us Canadians are super excited about our hockey," Kehler admitted.

Canada's Brianne Jenner provided hope, halving the deficit at 16:34.

Allenby and Kehler, young players in the Chilliwack Minor Hockey Association who are currently representing the Fraser Valley at the BC Winter Games, were on the edges of their seats.

"It was so exciting and intense and we were all sitting there saying, 'Canada's gotta score! Canada's gotta score!'" Allenby said. "Then the screen cut out and we missed it."

The feed came back for overtime, just in time for them to witness Poulin's OT heroics.

"I hate overtime. It's so nerve-wracking and it was so scary," Kehler laughed. "But in the end it was so great."

Playing at the highest level of female hockey in BC, these girls can dream of being the next Poulin or Hayley Wickenheiser.

"Maybe not Wickenheiser," Kehler said, not wanting the pressure of following Canada's greatest-ever female player. "But it would be super awesome to play for Team Canada."

"It would just be a dream to go there," Allenby added.