Girls hockey team heading to state

The Glacier Avalanche girls hockey team will travel this weekend to Bozeman for the U19 State Hockey Tournament. The trip will mark the first time a Whitefish girls team has competed in a state tournament, which coach Lini Reading calls an important milestone in the growing program.

“The ultimate goal is to build a competitive team,” Reading said about the second-year program. “The opportunity came up for us to play in Bozeman, and we had enough girls to make a team. Are we ready for this level of competition? I’m not sure, but we have to start somewhere.”

And Reading should know. She was a key figure in starting the girls soccer program here, which has since grown into one of the strongest in the state.

Ice hockey is a different beast, however. Ask any coach involved in winter sports — basketball, wrestling, debate — and there’s no doubt they’ll mention the trouble with recruiting players during ski season.

Adding to the barriers for a successful girls hockey team is the physical nature of the sport and the shortage of available ice time at the Stumptown Ice Den.

According to Reading, many girls who start hockey in the 5- to 8-year-old Hot Shots league drop out by the time they reach the Peewee level, where checking is allowed.

“A lot of parents don’t want their girls checking with boys on the ice,” she said.

Ice time is tough to find, too. The girls currently get one 55-minute practice session a week at the Ice Den.

“We’re doing what we can with 25 to 30 kids on ice for one hour a week,” Reading said. “I thought it was bad when girls soccer was starting. That was nothing compared to this.”

Reading expects the program could take about a decade to grow into a consistently competitive team, but she’s seen enough growth in just the past two years to keep her motivated.

“The more they skate and the more they get to practice with a stick and a puck, the more comfortable they’ll get,” she said. “They’re getting so much better already.”

The Avalanche team going to the state tournament is comprised of girls ranging in age from 10 to 17. Only three of those girls fall under the U19 age bracket, making them one of the youngest teams at the tourney.

Because of their youth, the team will play in the B division where they hope to tally at least a few wins.

“It’s a very lofty goal, but we feel it’s not out of question for us to win a game or two, or even make the finals,” Reading said. “If the girls work hard and are on, it could happen.”

Team members include Jamie Koerner, Jessica Baldanado, Alex Markus, Olivia Crick, Jordan Thorsteinson, Kristin VanEveren, Chloe (Pixie) Moore, Karissa DeMarco, Greta Roberts, Haley Craven, Georgia Donaldson, Zoe Hernandez, Halle Reading, Emma Baldanado and Anna Taylor.