News and Announcements

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The UVic Vikes continue to impress early in the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association season.
The Vikes pushed their competitive division record to 2-0 on the turf at UVic with a convincing 4-2 win Sunday over Rebels 1.
Chase Martin and Grant Simpson each scored their second goals in as many games for the Vikes, while Thomas Davey and Ryan Knight added the other UVic markers.
Ben Wheatley, with his second of the campaign, and Bevan Van der Berg tallied for the Rebels, who fell to 0-1-1 on the year.
In the second competitive game of the day, the Victoria League Selects notched their first victory, downing Tigers 4-2.
The Selects (1-0-1) continued to spread the scoring around, with Brayden Chatlain and Sanjiv Kalhon each scoring their second of the season, to add to goals by T.J. Parhar and Sunny Kahlon.
The Tigers, who have begun the season an uncharacteristic 0-2 after winning the past two regular season and playoff crowns, got goals from Josh Brown and Javier Virk.
In the season’s first head-to-head matchup in the recreational division, Hawks got a pair of goals from Vardeep Gill and singles from Gursharan Kalar, Gurcharn Athwal and Devin Virk in a 5-2 win over Rebels 2.
Ray Bailey scored both goals for the Rebels in a losing cause.
The day also saw a moment of silence observed to honour the memory of Pat Hall, a pioneer in the sport of field hockey in Greater Victoria as a player, coach, umpire and administrator. Hall, who was longtime administrator of the VIFHA among her many support and leadership roles in the sport volunteer who passed away Sept. 19. Among her many roles in the sport was as a longtime administrator for the VIFHA.

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Rallying the troops to start the new school year, the UVic Vikes enter the second week of Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association play in a slightly more favourable position than they started.
Adding another new player, Brady Chen, to the roster and hopeful that some of the players absent in last week’s 2-1 opening win over two-time defending league champion Tigers will be available, the Vikes will look to make it two wins to start the season when they face off against Rebels 1 this Sunday (noon start).
Playing down a man all game versus Tigers, the Vikes still managed to come out on top, thanks to goals from newcomer Chase Martin and team captain Grant Simpson. Lukas Grbic replied for Tigers, who take on the new Victoria League Selects at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 24.
The Selects, a combined unit featuring players from last year’s Mutineers squad and a cross-section of veteran former Tigers players, looked primed to score a victory in their first game last week against Rebels.
The teams were tied 1-1 early in the second half when Sanjiv Galhon redirected a pass to make it 2-1. But Dale Kirk later brought the Rebels back into a 2-2- tie and neither team could snap the deadlock by the end.
Ben Wheatley for Rebels, and Brayden Chatlain for the Selects tallied in the first half.
This Sunday’s other game sees the Hawks and Rebels face off in a recreational division game at 10:30 a.m.

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It is with great sadness that the field hockey community mourns the loss of a pioneer of our sport, Pat Hall. Pat passed away peacefully with her family on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. VILFHA and VIFHA will share more details about a Celebration of Life when available. This weekend teams are encouraged to share in a moment of silence to reflect on Pat Hall and how much she built for the future of field hockey.

While Pat has won many accolades over the past seven decades, in recent years she has been a recurring name crossing the stage. In 2020, Pat was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame for her decades of contributions to both field hockey and softball. Pat was then honoured at the Greater Victoria Sports Awards return to the local stage in 2022, as the organizing committee presented an award in her name, the Pat Hall Volunteer Award. Just this past Fall of 2023, Field Hockey Canada then announced Pat as a member of their 2023 FHC Hall of Fame as a builder.

Pat’s list of contributions is endless. In addition to her many years as player, coach and umpire, Pat served on the executive of the VILFHA for over 40 years. She has been Victoria or BC representative with Field Hockey BC, Field Hockey Canada, the Vancouver Island Umpires Association and the Victoria Junior Field Hockey Association. She was also a long-time administrator for the Victoria Men’s League (VIFHA).

She was honoured four times with VILFHA’s most prestigious award, the Christine Trophy, for combining sportsmanship, service and playing ability. She was also honoured by Field Hockey BC with their Barbara Schrodt Award for those who have made a difference, the Gold Pin Volunteer Award and Sport BC President’s Award. In 1983, Pat was named Victoria Sports Person of the Year. In 1993, she was awarded with VILFHA Life Membership and, in 2013, the VILFHA introduced the Pat Hall Officials Development Award.

If you would like to contribute to the Pat Hall Officials Development Award visit:
https://give.vancouverfoundation.ca/s/give?ID=a0e41000005DMugAAG

VIFHA is grateful for Pat’s contributions to the sport and the stage she set for field hockey players for years to come. Our thoughts go out to Pat’s family – Denise, Donna and Marty and Pat’s beautiful grand children, all of who she loved and helped raise with unconditional love.

We will share more details as they come available.

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A legend in local and provincial field hockey circles was honoured recently with perhaps the top career honour in the sport in Canada.
Pat Hall, whose decades-long volunteering and passion for the sport in Greater Victoria, on Vancouver Island and beyond made her a fixture around local, Island and B.C. fields, was inducted into the Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame in the builder’s category late last month.
Encapsulating Pat’s exploits on and off the field, FHC wrote: “Hall’s outstanding commitment to B.C. women’s field hockey, specifically on Vancouver Island, has left an incredible mark on the game. She serves as a shining example of what it means to be a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the game. Hall co-founded the Vancouver Island Ladies Field Hockey Association and served as the President of the B.C. Women’s Field Hockey Federation, both roles that showcased her unwavering commitment.”
The Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association congratulates Pat on this wonderful, well-deserved honour. She has inspired and influenced many volunteers, players and officials over the years and we thank her wholeheartedly for her efforts in all areas of hockey on behalf of developing the sport and keeping it alive and thriving.
– Don Descoteau, VIFHA secretary
WATCH: https://youtu.be/eWtkoo_jBJs?si=Z4a21C8FtEXxZGyk

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With the new season less than six weeks away, the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association is preparing to host its 2023 annual general meeting and start-of-season meeting, to be held online over Zoom, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
With the season tentatively set to begin on Sunday, Sept. 10, teams are being encouraged to confirm their player lists and forward them to the league administrator, and ensure all players are registered with Field Hockey B.C. for the 2023-24 season. (Read more at https://www.teampages.com/leagues/1343/announcements/2348314-Sign-up-now-FHBC-registrations-open-for-coming-season )
Input from all teams and the umpire’s association is critical to helping the league executive make good decisions, so players as well as team officials are encouraged to attend.
Of particular interest will be the election of the president and treasurer for the next two seasons. Nominations are open for both positions. Confirmed nominations for those wishing to run can be sent in advance of the meeting to “vifhainfo@gmail.com”.
Once the agenda is confirmed, it will be forwarded to team reps ahead of Aug. 15.
Any issues not resolved from last season will be discussed under “new business.” Reps and other team members are encouraged to bring questions or comments about VIFHA operations to the meeting, or forward them no later than Aug. 11 to “vifhainfo@gmail.com” for inclusion on the agenda.
No RSVPs are required to attend the meeting. Simply log on to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86011860108 and type in the meeting ID: 860 1186 0108, if necessary, to join the Zoom call.