A few hundred people witnessed some hockey history in Surrey on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 13).
Spectators gathered at Surrey Sport & Leisure Centre in Fleetwood to watch the women of Team India play in a Canadian rink for the very first time.
The exhibition game, against a Surrey Falcons bantam-division squad, was organized by the City of Surrey and officials with the Canadian Tire-sponsored , or WickFest, as a preview of the inaugural tournament in Surrey, to be played from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, 2019.
The tourney is hosted by Canadian hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic gold-medalist who has helped stage a similar event in Calgary over the past decade.
Team India is in Surrey for a few days before travelling to Calgary to play in the ninth-annual Wickfest there.
Who鈥檚 excited to play their very first hockey game in a Canadian rink, vs ? Team India, ladies and gentlemen.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
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With donated gear and on-ice clinics to improve their hockey skills, Wickenheiser and others launched a 鈥淚ndia2YYC鈥� initiative to help the team make their way to Canada this week.
In Surrey, local residents Neeru Schippel, Julie Sanghera and Bindy Dulay led a fundraising effort to help the team fly and stay here during a 鈥減it stop,鈥� prior to their arrival in Calgary.
In India, the team of women overcame some strong societal and familial pressures in their ambition to play hockey.
