After winning the , Fraser Valley Rush now have their sights set on a national title, at the U18AAA National Championship, the ESSO CUP in Alberta May 16 to 21.

If one spend time with the Rush, they鈥檇 hear the team repeat several phrases: 鈥淥ne to two, A to B,鈥� represents where the team wants to be and how they will get there; 鈥�40 for 40鈥� represents the importance of putting effort into every action on the ice, like backchecking.

However, there is one phrase that fully represents the team at its core: 鈥淥ther teams are here to beat us, we鈥檙e just here to be us.鈥�

As head coach Tony Lindsay describes it, the Rush want to focus on being who they are as a team and the things they excel at in every game.

鈥淲e just got to focus on being the best version of ourselves,鈥� Lindsay says. 鈥淥ur goal is to make sure that we have more fun than the other team. We use this slogan before every game: party on the bench. It鈥檚 got to be a party on the bench. We got to celebrate every success, every blocked shot, every successful back check.鈥�

Five Rush players hail from 91原创: Anna McKee, Mackenzie Galick, Cassandra Kehler, Julia Clauzel, and Kayla White.

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That culture has guided the team to a lot of success this season, with the Rush losing three games in league play on their way to becoming B.C. Elite Hockey League (BCEHL) champions. They are also the first team from British Columbia to ever defeat the Alberta champions to win their way to the Esso Cup as Pacific champions.

With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the number of games played last season, the Rush made the decision to front-end load the first six weeks of their schedule to kickstart the season and help players get recruitment exposure. At the final tournament of the six-week stretch, the Rush faced adversity and went 1-3 at the Chinook Classic in Calgary.

But the team took time to regroup and learn from the experience. Moving forward, they were stronger as a team and it showed on the ice鈥攁t the team鈥檚 next tournament, the USA-Canada Cup, the Rush went undefeated.

鈥淭hat was the weekend I thought, 鈥榊ou know what, we got it,鈥欌�� Lindsay explains. 鈥淭he girls learned how to respond to [adversity].鈥�

That experience paid off when it was time for the playoffs in March. In the series, the Rush gave up a third-period lead and dropped Game 1 to the Northern Capitals before rebounding to win the final two games. At the Pacific Regional, the Edmonton Pandas pushed the Rush to be at their best with two close back-and-forth games, including an overtime victory for Fraser Valley in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.

鈥淓ven when we fall behind, even when we faced adversity, the girls responded well to that,鈥� he says.

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Overall, the Rush have cultivated an environment where everyone feels they have a role, and no player鈥檚 role is bigger than another player. That鈥檚 evident in how much the team loves being together at the rink 鈥� when general manager Alain Wozney shows up to the rink 90 minutes before puck drop, he鈥檒l often see members of the team waiting to get into the dressing room.

鈥淸It鈥檚] to the point that the rink is saying they鈥檙e coming too early,鈥� Wozney says. 鈥淭hat goes to show that they really love being together and love coming to the rink and being a part of something special.鈥�

鈥� courtesy Shannon Coulter, Hockey Canada