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In France, Surrey’s Ellie Chou a lone Canadian girl on World Selects hockey tourney-winner

Panorama-area player netted three goals and five assists at showcase in Chamonix
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Surrey’s Ellie Chou, 13, with the trophy her team won at the World Selects Invitational U14 girls tournament played in Chamonix, France, this month. (submitted photo: Ray Chou)

Surrey’s Ellie Chou was the lone Canadian on a World Selects Invitational-winning hockey team in France last weekend.

The 13-year-old, who lives in the Panorama area, finished ninth in scoring at the 12-team tournament, which involved U14 girls teams from North America and Europe.

Ellie, a right-shot forward, played on a Midwest Selects team full of American girls, other than her. Tryouts were held in Detroit last December.

The Chou family arrived home on Sunday (April 21) with fond memories of their 10 days in Chamonix and the Mont Blanc region, near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy.

On the ice, Ellie scored three goals and five assists during the annual showcase, organized by Legacy Global Sports. Her eight points for the tourney placed her fourth in team scoring, behind teammates from Illinois, New York and Nebraska.

CLICK HERE to view Ellie’s stats on the tournament website.

“It was a good life experience, and a great cultural experience, too,” Ellie’s father, Ray Chou, said Monday. “She’ll do a school project on it, as part of the deal of missing school.”

The Midwest Selects didn’t lose a game on their way to winning the tournament trophy. “They were the strongest team by far,” Ray said.

Last month, during spring break in Trail, Ellie and her Surrey Falcons peewee rep team placed second at provincials, a year after winning the banner as B.C.’s best girls team in the division.

Next season, Ellie has committed to play at Delta Hockey Academy, her father said.

(STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO, FROM 2018)

Last April, Ellie flew to Toronto to play at the Hockey Hall of Fame Future Legends Tournament, an invitation-only showcase for 2006-born girls from around the world. There, Ellie’s Team Goyette won the tourney title with a 1-0 win over Team Granato.

“Ellie is a dynamic player with elite offence skill and skating,” Falcons coach Jag Bal told the Now-Leader last spring. “She also has exceptional hockey sense and is a great teammate. Off the ice she is quiet and unassuming,” added Bal, who said Ellie is a potential national-level player.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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The Midwest Selects team with trophy at the World Selects Invitational U14 girls tournament played in Chamonix, France, this month. (submitted photo)


Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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