A day filled with friendly games, a bake sale, Lightning team merchandise including heritage jerseys, face painting and activities for participants of all ages at the Clarence-Rockland Arena proved a resounding success.

“We were really happy with the turnout,” said CRGHA president Michel Beauchamp. “Between players and parents, we probably had a couple hundred people come out to support the girls.”

The CRGHA is looking to bring awareness to girls hockey in Clarence-Rockland and in general. As the only association for girls hockey east of Ottawa, Beauchamp wants to make sure local girls have the opportunity to play good, competitive hockey here in Clarence-Rockland and not have to go out of town to train.

Also, as much of the focus is often on the boys teams, they wanted to give the girls at least one day to be the stars of the show.

The bake sale and merchandise sales helped raise more than $1500 for the CRGHA, but the most important piece was showing how important the organization is to so many people in the community.

“We really just want to make sure girls get the opportunity to play hockey, no matter their age or where they live,” said Beauchamp.

The Lightning teams are getting to the end of their 2022-2023 season with playoffs and playdowns set to start in mid-February.

On February 17, the Rockland Nationals will host a Lightning recognition night, shining some of the limelight on the girls and the importance of girls hockey in Clarence-Rockland.