Madison Sands says she's "not very serious" about hockey.

You wouldn't know it from the scholarship offers she's fielding from different NCAA schools, or from the fact she was named to the Second All-Star Team at the Mac's Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament, held Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 in Calgary.

"This is one of the premier tournaments in Canada for midget hockey," noted Dean Reed, her head coach with the Fraser Valley Phantom which took a tie and three losses at the prestigious event.

Just before Christmas, Sands was named first star at the Female Midget AAA (FMAAA) all-star game Dec. 18 at the Langley Events Centre.

In a game showcasing the best talent in the BC Hockey FMAAA league, the 5'3" defenceman from Maple Ridge scored the tying goal for Team Blue, which went on to edge Team White, 3-2, in a shootout.

"It was great," Sands said, of her all-star experience.

She wasn't the only Phantom player who made an impact during the game. Fellow Maple Ridge resident centre Payge Pena scored Team Blue's first goal of the game.

Another notable local skater at the all-star game was Vancouver Fusion forward Emily Jude.

Last season, the Pitt Meadows resident helped Team BC place fourth at the ringette nationals.

Jude played both sports for eight years before deciding to concentrate solely on hockey this season.

"I have more opportunities in hockey," Jude said of her decision to go with one sport rather than juggling two. "Ringette pretty much took me about as far as I could go. Now hockey can help me move forward, possibly for school."

All three are in productive years for their teams.

With the league-leading 171 Phantom, Sands leads all team defencemen in goals (six) and points (15) and is tie with Mackenzie Barrie of the Thompson-Okanagan Rockets for points among league defencemen.

Pena has lit the lamp 10 times to go with three assists.

Meanwhile, Jude has three goals and two assists with the 4-9-3 Fusion.

"The pace is fast, but it's been good," said Pena, speaking of her first foray into the midget AAA level.

Reed said Sands and Pena both have quiet personalities, letting actions speak louder than words.

"Madison is a player who is a leader for us," Reed said. "She's an assistant captain and she's fun to be around. She's always laughing about something, but [being talkative] is not her personality."

Pena, like Sands, is soft-spoken off the ice.

"Payge. talk about your quiet kids," Reed said.

On the ice, Sands's skating ability and Pena's on-ice vision make them impact players.

Sands is an all-around athlete, Reed said.

"She can run forever and she likes playing soccer, as well," Reed said. "There are numerous schools after her because of her talent."

Pena's three assists belies her innate ability to find an open teammate.

"Payge is a playmaker," Reed said. "Madison can get the game going because she's fast. Payge will make plays that normal kids at our level cannot make. In the 15-plus years I've been coaching, she has some of the best hands I've seen in a long time. It took her linemates a while to adjust to her. I tell them, 'Just get into an open space and she'll find you.'"

Pena and Sands play on a Phantom team that was a perfect 16-0 heading into last weekend's action.

The Thompson-Okanagan Rockets spoiled the Phantom's perfect record by beating the Fraser Valley 5-2 Friday at McLaren Arena in Penticton.

The Phantom bounced back with a 5-4 win over the Rockets Saturday at Memorial Arena in Kamloops.

The Rockets are second in the five-team league with a 12-3-3 record.

Reed said that for the Mallo family, including Dave and Kathy Mallo (whose daughter Lauren, a former Phantom defenceman, is now playing Div. 3 hockey at Buffalo State College Bengals) helped build the program.

"The first couple of years, there were some struggles, but the Mallo family's efforts kept this thing going. As a program we hope to keep on getting better," Reed said.

Reed noted that at the Mac's tournament, there was a comment that the Phantom was the best B.C. team "in a while" participating at the high level event.

The Regina Rebels won the female division Mac's Cup, beating the Edmonton Thunder in the final. Both teams were in the Phantom's ultra-tough pool.

tlandreville@mrtimes.com