It was the trip of a lifetime for 16 young girls from the Abbotsford Ice atom hockey team as they traveled to P.E.I. for their moment in the sun - or rather the spotlights of CBC's Hockey Day in Canada.

The Ice were winners in a random draw last fall of more than 500 minor hockey teams from across the country for the Scotiabank Bigger Save Hockey Day in Canada.

The girls, aged 9 to 10, left Abbotsford International Airport Feb. 9, destined for Charlottetown, P.E.I., with a quick stop in Toronto, where they visited the Hockey Hall of Fame. For every moment of their adventure, the team was accompanied by a CBC cameraman.

"The kids had a lot of fun, there were a lot of interactive things," team manager Rod Wiebe said of the Hall of Fame, while admitting that most of the hockey history was lost on the young girls.

"But they really enjoyed it."

The players landed in Charlottetown later in the day and were met by their on-ice opponents, the Pownal Red Devils, who greeted them at the airport with jerseys and goodie bags.

They immediately made friends and exchanged e-mail addresses, said Wiebe.

It wasn't all hockey all the time, as the girls saw the sights, took in the Jack Frost Winter Festival and went tobogganing.

Saturday's game against the Red Devils included plenty of action and excitement as the Ice downed their new friends 4-1 under the hot lights of the CBC cameras, which televised parts of the game nationally on Feb. 11.

"They were pretty excited. It's always nice to win," said Wiebe. "I'm glad our kids won."

The day was packed with many memorable moments, like when the girls all lined up on the blue line and were introduced one by one.

Then the national anthem was sung, something not usually done at this level of play, and later the girls got to meet Don Cherry and Ron MacLean.

"It was a pretty neat experience for them," added Wiebe.

But the best part may have come on Sunday, when the Ice traveled to Pownal for their new friends' regular league game, and the Abbotsford girls cheered on the team they had beaten just the day before.

"We watched the whole game," said Wiebe. "That for me was awesome." Then the team was back on the plane and heading home.

"We didn't want it to come to an end," said Wiebe. "It was just a fantastic experience for the girls and one that will last a lifetime."

JKonda-Witte@abbotsfordtimes.com