Brainerd-Little Falls 15U B
Season Recap
The Brainerd-Little Falls (BLF) 15U 2019-20 season was full of many ups and downs including broken bones, player injuries and a dwindling roster. In fact, our girls played a tournament in Baldwin, WI with only nine players. To say they gave it their all is an understatement. Our relatively new but dedicated coaches, Jed Rusk and Reno Fussy, never gave up on our BLF girls and instilled in them the desire to continue to strive for the little victories.
When Regions rolled around, we were hopeful, as many of our players were injury free, and our team seemed to be on an upward trend. Our first win at Regions gave our girls the boost they were desperately in need of. Things finally clicked, which is a team's best case scenario, to peak in post season play! Placing third in the National Region and earning a spot in the Minnesota Hockey Girls 15U B State Tournament is a memory that will be cherished not only by the players and parents but also our coaches.
At Regions, our coaches shared with the team about how excited they were to make their first trip to the state tournament. Both coaches are alumni of the Brainerd Youth Hockey Association, as well as Brainerd High School's hockey program and taking a team to state is a big deal! The towns of Brainerd and Little Falls haven’t sent a girls team to the state tournament in five years. Our girls' perseverance was paying off, and they couldn’t have been more eager for the opportunity.
Our team was intensely saddened at the cancelling of the Minnesota Hockey State Tournament. While the reasons are understood, the what if's and should have been's will forever play out in the back of our minds. We are proud to be honored as a State Qualifying team and look forward to the days when our girls can be back on the ice, skating toward their dreams.