In a way, Nanaimo siblings Danielle and Owen Hardy get to be on the same team at the Canada Winter Games – they’re both part of Team B.C.
Danielle will skate with British Columbia’s U18 girls’ team while Owen is part of the U16 boys’ team.
The Games begin Feb. 13 in Prince George.
Danielle has been part of Hockey B.C.’s high-performance squad before. Last year that meant a trip to nationals; this year the stage is bigger.
“This year is the Canada Winter Games, and it’s in your own province, so it definitely meant a lot more making the team this year than it did last year,” she said.
There’s an extended tryout and evaluation process for all members of B.C. Hockey’s high-performance program. Owen, for example, had to try out for the B.C. Cup tournament, show well there, make it to provincial camp in Nanaimo, make a shortlist after that, and then continue to be evaluated.
So it was “pretty exciting,” he said, when he found out he was going to be part of the Canada Winter Games team, and his big sister was excited for him, too.
“It was definitely a proud moment when he made the team,” Danielle said. “It’s pretty cool that both of us are going to be able to share this unreal experience.”
Hockey is something the Hardy siblings have shared for a long time. They’ve both been away at the Pursuit of Excellence program in the Okanagan, and this year they’re both part of Woodlands Secondary School’s hockey academy.
“We train throughout the year together all the time,” Danielle said. “We’re constantly working out together, getting our own ice and constantly pushing each other.”
Perhaps as a result, they both bring a similar style to the ice.
Owen is a reliable two-way player who uses his size and strength to win his battles, while Danielle is a dangerous shooter and can play anywhere on the ice.
B.C.’s boys tend to be strong on the national stage, and look to be contenders again.
“We all came together from different organizations and we fit in pretty well together, I think,” Owen said.
B.C.’s girls, meanwhile, have never won gold, so they’ll be looking to change that on home ice in P.G.
“Each camp we seem to have progressed quite a bit,” Danielle said. “What I’ve heard from the coaching staff is we’re looking really strong and we have a good chance of bringing home a medal.”