Kristina Gardner

WickFest, the annual hockey festival that celebrates young female athletes and their passion for the game, visited the North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex from January 31 to February  2, 2025. This is the thirteenth year that Surrey has hosted the festival. The weekend welcomed female athletes from across Canada and the United States, offering off-ice wellness workshops and on-ice sessions with Olympic gold medalist and event founder, Hayley Wickenheiser.

This September, female hockey players will rock on their skates at the blue line, waiting for the referee to drop the puck at Vancouver's first-ever PWHL game. In the stands, fans will cheer with excitement, ready to witness a new era of women's hockey on the West Coast.  Long-time PWHL fan Alexa Liptak heard about the expansion announcement and was overwhelmed with emotion. As a reporter for the local non-profit organization Girls at the Games, Liptak has followed the PWHL since its inceptio