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Submitted by John Pratt
(360) 319-3584
Historically, options and opportunities in Northwest girls’ hockey have been fairly limited. With few all-female teams and leagues available, most girls play on co-ed teams through Bantam until size and strength differences become an issue. A very few go on to play women’s college hockey, which is dominated by eastern players.
Now there’s an organization set on changing all that. Northwest Selects is a non-profit group dedicated to developing competitive hockey for girls in the Pacific Northwest with an eye toward exposure to upper level women’s hockey and creating opportunities for college recruitment.
The brainchild of Portland residents Jeffery Kirsch and Kent Lane, the model is aimed at nurturing and then showcasing Northwest talent by exposing teams to nation-wide competition …and potentially the attention of college scouts.
“Most recruitment traditionally takes place in the major hockey markets such as Minnesota and New England”, explained Lane. “Women’s hockey west of the Rockies is largely unknown. Taking our girls to major tournaments gets them noticed and now college coaches are beginning to realize the un-tapped potential we have in our area.”
Drawing on select players from Washington, Idaho and Oregon, Northwest Selects has assembled tournament teams in three age brackets: U-12, U-14 and U19. Working closely with local hockey associations, the organization is structured to allow girls to play weekly with their local teams, then get together once every 3-6 weeks for practice or tournaments.
Previously, players with higher ambitions tended to move east where there was more opportunity. "The program now allows the competitive player the opportunity to play at a high level, while living at home in the Northwest", says Lane.
The highly qualified coaching staff is headed by USA Hockey coach Robin Willins and includes current and former female college players. In addition to hockey skills, the girls learn about nutrition, motivation and dry-land training specific to the female athlete.
Academically, players are expected to maintain at least a B average. They are also tutored in the college recruitment process, and the U-19’s are required to assemble a personal resume, which is then published on-line with access restricted to qualified coaches.
This season the U-19 team will play tournaments in British Columbia, California, Minnesota and Connecticut. In addition, the U-12’s and U-14’s will also play in British Columbia and California.
Most recently, all three teams participated in the 3rd annual Burnaby Minor Female Remembrance Day Hockey Tournament November 11-13. Billed as the “largest all-female tournament in North America” the U-14’s won the Bantam 2 title in their first outing as a team.,
"It was a great win for the U14s and the entire program", says Coach Willins. The U-12’s came out on the short end of a shootout in the finals to take 2nd in the Peewee 2 division while the U-19’s placed a respectable 5th in Midget 1.
Northwest Selects will be looking for eligible applicants during the off-season. For more information, go to www.nwselects.org.
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