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Makin' Waves in Women's Hockey

By Jessi Hinrichs, Minnesota Hockey Journal, 02/08/17, 1:45PM CST

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From the first moment boys step out on the ice there’s a dream of making the National Hockey League. The Show.

"I want to be the next Zach Parise.”
“I want to be the next Matt Niskanen.”
“I want to be the next…”

The list goes on and on. For girls, the dream is a little bit different.

“I want to make it to the University of Minnesota.”
“I want to make it to Minnesota State University.”
“I want to be on the U.S. National team.”

And more recently, “I want to play with the Minnesota Whitecaps.”

Girl’s hockey has transcended over time. It’s an ever-changing landscape, with more and more girls coming out to local rinks each and every year. In 2015-16 there were 13,354 girls/women registered to play hockey in Minnesota—2,104 in 8U alone. In 1990-91 there were only 961 girls/women registered in the State of Hockey.

“Girls hockey has made tremendous strides,” said Laura Halldorson, former coach of the University of Minnesota women’s team, now working with the Whitecaps. “I think it’s awesome that little girls can not only dream of playing for their college team but for a professional team and in the Olympics.”      

With the help of the Whitecaps, girls continue to be reminded of all that is possible if you love the greatest game on ice.

The Goal

There are more than 73,000 registered female players in the U.S. There are only 22 roster spots on the national and Olympic teams every given year.

So what do you do if you want to continue to play hockey at an elite level after college but don’t make the cut to wear Team USA?

Halldorson said that’s where the idea for the Whitecaps came about. Established in 2004, the Minnesota Whitecaps operate as a post-collegiate opportunity for players from the Midwest and beyond. The team is independent of any league affiliation right now, and the organization operates on funds provided by supporters and donors. It works especially well in Minnesota, where the cream of the crop in hockey talent is usually found.

“I think girls [in Minnesota] have been following their local high school teams and the college teams that are in the area, and also Olympic teams…and there’s this sort of niche in between college and the national team level where the Whitecaps sort of fill that,” Halldorson said. “We’re not as well-known…but that’s what we’re trying to change, because I think the girls who are paying attention and going to these high school and college games, they’re going to see a lot of those players that played around here and they can continue to follow them at the next level.”

Rose Alleva was one of those girls.

A Red Wing native and former Princeton Tigers standout Alleva recalls watching the Whitecaps in middle school and high school. After graduating college in 2014 she spent some time on the East Coast before returning back home to Minnesota. Like a fish to water Alleva wanted to know first things first: “Where can I play hockey?”

She made the Whitecaps roster for the first time last season and is in her second year with the team.

“At first it was really intimidating because you’re playing with these national girls and girls who have played in the Olympics,” Alleva said of the roster that features Olympic team members Kendall Coyne and Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux. “But now it’s just fun.”

Like Alleva, Allie Thunstrom, also a member of the U.S. National team, was looking for an opportunity to continue to play and train.

 “When you grow up being competitive and being an athlete, it kind of sticks with you,” said Thunstrom, the 2006 Minnesota Ms. Hockey and former Boston College forward. “With the Whitecaps you get to get back in that competition mode. And you get to play the game you love for a little bit longer.”

A Unique Situation

Alleva is in grad school at the University of Minnesota where she is working toward earning her master’s in biological science.

 Thunstrom works full time as an associate product specialist in the Twin  Cities.

There are a handful of moms and player’s age’s range from 23 to 38.

“It’s a really unique situation,” Halldorson said of the way the Whitecaps create the roster. “We have players from different locations, different stages of life, different jobs, school and responsibilities. But because it’s flexible, it works.

“I really like it because it keeps things in perspective. Yes, you love hockey and we’re gonna try to put a lot into that, but at the same time, we understand you have kids or a have a job or have school. We get that.”

The Whitecaps keep a deep roster. This season there are 35 players who have contributed enough to be considered a part of the team. Practices vary and aren’t every day like in high school or college. Emails are sent out each week leading up to weekend games to see who is available. Most games are local, but some that require travel to places like Syracuse, N.Y., and Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. The schedule is comprised of mostly college opponents, who are looking to fill their schedule with exhibition and non-conference contests. This season’s Whitecaps schedule boosts 15 games from October through February.  And while the flexibility can make it appear that the team operates in a non-serious manner, the opposite is actually true.

“We try our best where we’re not sacrificing our day-to-day lives that are providing for us, but at the same time we all have the same goal,” explained Thunstrom. “We love the game enough to make the sacrifices we need to get to practices or to games to make it work.”

But as with any hockey team, fun is always included to an extent. For Alleva, it’s exactly the outlet she needs.

“It’s really nice because it’s my part of the day to get away from life and everything,” Alleva said of practices and games. “We take it seriously but it’s still a lot of fun.”

Future Dreams

There’s no question that girls hockey will continue to grow. It’s a part of the Whitecaps mission. With the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the National Women’s Hockey League (based out East), it’s apparent that there is room in the market for women’s hockey to be raised to the next level, too.  

“I would love to see the two pro leagues come together and be able to expand to our market and the Midwest and have that be here,” said Thunstrom. “It’d be awesome to have a real life professional team. All the younger girls in Minnesota Hockey can come and watch us and dream just as big as we did and say, ‘I want to be on the Whitecaps someday.’ If we can get into a solid league and have something that those kids can look toward…I think that would just be really awesome to have that connection between our youth and where we are now. The game keeps growing.”

Alleva agrees.

“Just being able to play on the team now is amazing, knowing that you’re providing and keeping the tradition alive for the younger girls,” she said. “It’s nice to see that Minnesota Hockey is the place to be for hockey.”

Boy or girl. 

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