The Prince George U16 B squad won the game that mattered the most Sunday, and it ended with gold medals around the players' necks.
Prince George edged Shuswap from Salmon Arm 7-6 in the final of the B.C. provincial ringette championship on home ice at the Coliseum.
"We've always been a wild card at provincials and this feels amazing to win at home," said Prince George captain Tess Tuininga. "It felt great to do it in front of our friends and family."
The game, a back-and-forth affair between the two rivals, was tied at 3-3 after the first period. Nadine Kwiatkowski tallied a pair of goals and Rachael Nicklen added a single for the host side, sponsored by Andrew Kemp Lawyer & Mediator, Realtors of PG.
In the second period, Tuininga scored twice, including an unassisted short-handed goal and Devin Ouellet gave Prince George a two-goal cushion.
Shuswap came close and Tuininga scored her third tally unassisted which eventually was the winner.
Prince George killed off a two-minute minor with 2:49 left in the final period, and hung on for the win.
Tasha Johnson scored a pair of goals for Shuswap, and Cassidy Brown, Danika Scholinder, Mhari Runciman, and Adrianna Williams added singles.
Mason Oullette earned the win between the pipes for Prince George.
Prince George advanced to the final with a 5-0 shutout win over Terrace in Sunday's semifinal.
Kwiatkowski scored the hat trick, while Nicklen and Sydney Paschal added singles.
With only three teams on the B-level side, Terrace won bronze.
"It was really important for us to win that game," said Tuininga. "I used to live in Terrace and we really wanted to beat them. Everyone just stepped up."
Shuswap had defeated Prince 10-4 in the final round-robin game Saturday.
The squad won two bronze medals at tournaments in the Fraser Valley and Kelowna.
