On Thursday, Feb. 12, U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce) paid tribute, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, to the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers, an age 12 and under girls hockey team involved in a tragic traffic accident last month.

The Santa Clarita Flyers were on their way to the Western Girls Hockey League Championship when a snowplow collided with a team van, injuring five players and killing Manny Lorenzana, the father of one of the players.

The girls team went on to win the championship game in overtime, which Whitesides praised on the House floor while citing their courage and strength during a time of adversity.

View the full clip of Rep. Whitesides’ speech here, and read the full remarks as prepared for delivery below:

I rise today to share the heartbreaking and inspiring story of the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers, a 12 and under hockey team that plays in my district.

While on the way to the Western Girls Hockey League Playoffs, a snow plow collided head on with one of their team vans, injuring five players and killing Manny Lorenzana.

We remember Manny as a loving dad to Brody, an excellent partner to April, and a talented tattoo artist.

After such a tragic event, the team rallied together, and made the decision all on their own to play on – for Manny and their injured teammates.

Amazingly, in the face of hardship that came far too early for those so young, the Santa Clarita Flyers ended up taking home the Championship after a nail-biting final that ended 1-0 in overtime.

Here is what I want this amazing team and their families to know: the entire Santa Clarita community has your back, and we are deeply proud of you. I can’t wait to cheer you all on at a home game next season.

To view the video cut and paste this link into your browser: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iVlapoVgdnMAl6ZuzcmphSDOIjO0DpM3/view.