Phone calls don't get much better than the one North Vancouver native Brielle Bellerive received about a month ago.
She'd just returned from a trip with her Okanagan Hockey Academy team when Jackie Friesen, a coach involved with picking Canada's team for the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U-18 Women's World Championship, gave her a call. Bellerive remembers the first line of the conversation but not much else.
"She started off with 'I'd like to congratulate you on making the national team.' It was kind of a blur after that," Bellerive said. "It was just amazing. A heart stopper. I was speechless. It was the best feeling ever."
Bellerive may or may not have guessed that the "best feelings ever" were just getting started as she and the rest of team Canada, including fellow North Vancouverite and OHA attendant Hannah Miller, went on to claim gold at the World Championships, ending the tournament with a 5-1 win over the United States last Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.
The Canadians started the tournament with wins of 7-1 over Japan, 7-0 over Finland and 5-0 over the Czech Republic in the preliminary round before things got tense in the playoffs. With a berth in the championship final on the line, Canada went into overtime against Russia tied 0-0. Ontario's Lauren Wildfang scored the winner three minutes into the extra frame.
In the final Canada and the United States, long the cosuperpowers in the world of women's hockey, battled through a scoreless first period before Canada potted three quick goals at the end of the second to take a 3-0 lead. The United States scored early in the third, seemingly setting up a dynamite finish, but Canada answered right back with the final two goals to finish off the world championship win.
"It was intense," said Bellerive. "They came out strong but we ended up crushing them at the end.. .. The bench just absolutely erupted after every single goal. It was such an amazing atmosphere."
Cue "best feeling ever" No. 2: the moment the final buzzer sounded.
"Everyone just - I can't explain - they just freaked out, jumped over the boards," said Bellerive. "It was amazing. The biggest dog pile.. .. A few people got hurt but it was worth it."
There was still time for one more "best feeling ever" moment: the Canadian anthem sweeping through the arena as the country's flag was raised to the rafters.
"That's when it finally hit me that we won, we were world champions," said Bellerive. "Just lining up on the blue line, hands around each other. It was awesome."
For the 17-year-old forward, Budapest was the latest highlight of a hockey career that started when she was just four years old. Bellerive first hit the ice as a figure skater but soon became intrigued by the game her older brother Matt was playing at Hollyburn Country Club. In particular she liked all the gear he got to wear.
"I didn't like falling with having no padding on," she said. "Once I figured out that I could put padding
on and keep skating and playing hockey, that won me over. Once I started (hockey), that was the end of figure skating."
Brielle, known also as Brie, joined the boys program at Hollyburn, graduating to the elite North Shore Avalanche girls team when she reached pee wee. Younger brother Jordy soon joined the fun and the three siblings started waging battles in the family basement that contained a covered up swimming
pool that the kids could rollerblade on.
"I grew up playing down there," said Bellerive. "We were all really competitive, right from the start. I think that helped me a lot. They taught me how to shoot, stickhandle. .. they were always giving me tips."
Both brothers are in the middle of successful hockey careers themselves. Matt, 19, scored 42 points in 60 Western Hockey League games split between Kamloops and Red Deer this season. Jordy, 15, captained the North Shore Winter Club to a provincial championship in the Bantam Tier 1 division this season, scoring two goals in the final. The
Winterhawks are competing at the Western Bantam Championships in Kelowna this weekend.
Both boys have put together strong resumes but sister Brielle now has some exclusive bragging rights.
"First world championship in the family," she said with a laugh.
For Miller, meanwhile, this was her second world title following a win at last year's U-18 championships. Named an assistant captain this year, Miller racked up a goal and two assists in the five games while earning four penalty minutes and a +2 rating. Bellerive didn't pick up a point in Hungary but earned a +2 rating while picking up two penalty minutes.
Both players will continue to work at the Penticton-based Okanagan Hockey Academy and at places beyond - Bellerive is headed to Clarkson University in upstate New York next season - with the hopes of many more appearances for Team Canada.
"Obviously my dream is to make the Olympic team - I'll just keep working on it, play as long as I can," said Bellerive, adding one more "best ever" moment to her list: putting on a Maple Leaf jersey to represent the country.
"It never gets old," she said. "Every time you walk in the dressing room with all the jerseys up - goosebumps. It's an unexplainable feeling. A dream come true, really."
