Team from Ladakh stopped by in Surrey Tuesday afternoon to play a friendly game with the Surrey Falcons en route to their first appearance at Canadian ice hockey great Hayley Wickenheiser’s Annual Tournament.
SURREY – Described as inspirational and never let anything stop you from pursuing your dreams, the women’s ice hockey team from Ladakh, India made an appearance in Surrey Tuesday afternoon before traveling to their first appearance at Canadian ice hockey great Hayley Wickenheiser’s Annual Tournament.
The City of Surrey and the Canadian Tire Wickenheiser Female World Hockey Festival (Canadian Tire WickFest) invited members of the media to attend a luncheon and exhibition hockey game between India’s National Female Hockey team and the Surrey Falcons.
“If you’ve never heard of an ice hockey team from India, let alone a female one, you are not alone. Even I thought I was coming to a press conference for a field hockey team from India. But these young women from the far corners of India (from Ladakh in J&K state) are a unique and inspiring bunch, they inspired Canadian Hockey great Haley Wickenheiser who invited the team to get Canadian Tire backed Wickfest hockey tournament which takes place this weekend in Calgary,” wrote LINK editor R. Paul Dhillon on his facebook page.
Local Indo-Canadians, including Julie Sanghera and Meera Schippe, alsol helped raise funds for the team to travel from India to Canada. The team’s story is a great story of persistence, passion and desire to play the sport no matter the odds. A great example and role model for young women and men everywhere.
After years of hard work on and off the ice, and thanks to special invitation from six-time Olympian Wickenheiser, the team, who overcame strong societal and familial pressures in an effort to grow the game of women’s ice hockey in India, will compete in the ninth annual Canadian Tire WickFest.
Canadian Tire WickFest is one of the largest and most celebrated female hockey tournaments in the world. After nine successful years in Calgary, the Festival is also coming to Surrey from January 31 to February 3, 2019.
