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New All-Girls Program Gaining Strength in Alaska

By Mike Scandura - Special to USA Hockey, 02/01/17, 8:30AM MST

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Juneau-area girls no longer have to travel the state or country to play girls hockey

After the 2015-16 season ended, the Juneau-Douglas Ice Association board of directors took feedback on what they could do to improve.

It became clear from the community’s response that the association needed to add an all-girls program.

“A few girls traveled up to Anchorage (575 miles, as the crow flies) and played with the Anchorage girls,” Juneau-Douglas President Matt Boline said. “That was last April and we thought we should have our own all-girls team.

“We had a lot of girls that hadn’t played hockey before or some who had quit for various reasons. Because we have this program, other girls are coming back to the game or starting hockey for the first time. We ended up getting about double the number we expected.”

Last season, eight girls played in the Alaska youth hockey championships on co-ed teams. But this season, 20 girls showed up for the first practice, and 18 girls, ages nine to 13, played their first game in December against a 10U boys team.

“The numbers exceeded our expectations,” Boline said. “We weren’t counting on this many new girls coming out to play hockey, but from a financial standpoint, we were willing to take a risk.

“We’re up to 22 girls now. In an association with over 220 total kids, that’s a big chunk to add to our program.”

One hurdle the association had to overcome was the fact Juneau-Douglas isn’t connected by roads virtually to anywhere in the state.

“Anchorage is almost 600 miles away,” Boline said. “In the last few years, we’ve lost girls who’ve left the state to go to Connecticut and Indiana to play for academies because we didn’t have an option.”

But once the association announced that girls now would have an all-girls program and wouldn’t have to play on co-ed teams, the response was a pleasant surprise.

“A lot of the girls wanted to sign up for that reason alone,” Boline said. “More than half signed up because it was all-girls — mostly girls that had not played before and their friends signed up. It created a cool atmosphere.”

But it’s not enough to just have an all-girls program. The association knew it needed the right coaches. Jill Wietz and Becka Soza have proven to be the perfect fit.

“They’re good, strong, female role models with positive attitudes and they want to grow the program as much as we do,” Boline said. “They have varying experiences, but they complement each other.”

Boline said that the girls are having fun and enjoying the experience of participating in an all-girls program, but they’re also serious about honing their skills.

“There has been some huge individual development,” Boline said. “We didn’t have a goalie to start with and one of the new players (Lydia Ploof) gravitated to it and is doing well now.

“We’ve got at least one girl [Jamie Hort] going to the Alaska Select Camp [the last weekend in January]. Overall, they’ve been able to get together and play a game that’s new to them, and that’s been a rewarding experience. To get them going from square one to where they are now has been very good.”

An added boost to the success of the program has been USA Hockey’s American Development Model.

“What they like the most is the constant action and puck touches,” Boline said. “There are a lot of opportunities to play. There isn’t any standing in line. At the end of every practice, we have sweaty heads and smiling faces.”

Now that Juneau-Douglas has established an all-girls program, that doesn’t mean the board of directors is content with simply maintaining the status quo.

“Our goal is to continue to grow the program and have multiple age groups,” Boline said. “We plan on increasing numbers.”

One way this will happen is via the association’s introduction-to-hockey program.

“It’s designed for 4- and 5-year-olds,” Boline said. “Routinely the registration in that program is comprised of 30 to 40 percent girls. The idea is for that to grow the rest of our program. If we can give them something to look forward to, it may help us retain those players.

“We’re doing everything we can not to lose those players at those ages, as well as getting stronger female coaches from our community.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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