Griz women to claw the ice for season’s first hockey game

Skates will be laced, uniforms will be worn and the puck will be dropped.

The UM women’s hockey team will begin play Saturday as it takes on Whitefish in scrimmages starting at noon and 3 p.m. in the Glacier Ice Rink at the fairgrounds. 

Skates will be laced, uniforms will be worn and the puck will be dropped.

The UM women’s hockey team will begin play Saturday as it takes on Whitefish in scrimmages starting at noon and 3 p.m. in the Glacier Ice Rink at the fairgrounds. 

The season is about to start for a women’s team with a wide range of experience levels. The team was started in 2001, and has slowly gained a reputation over the years. 

“It’s becoming more popular – not too much more, because it’s a male-dominated sport – but I think it’s coming around,” said Laura Wold, UM senior and team captain.

The team is made up of about 20 women ranging from freshmen to graduate students. They will play a round-robin tournament Saturday. 

“I think we have a good team this year, with a much better chance at winning than last year’s team,” Wold said. 

The team, like other club-status teams at UM, gets a small amount of money from the University and raises the rest themselves. Ice time at the rink is expensive, says UM grad student Natalie Mourton. The team put on a bake sale in the UC, and some of the players raked leaves for money. 

They are playing in the co-ed Glacier League this year as part of the novice division, consisting of eight other teams. Most of the women play in this division, but a few play in the intermediate division and one woman plays in the most difficult division. 

“We recruited a bunch of players, and it will be interesting to see what our team is going to be like this year,” Wold said. 

The team will also be traveling to Wenatchee, Wash. in two weeks for a tournament. The season continues until March with one game and one practice each week. 

One challenge the team faces, aside from money shortages, is the issue of playing against men in the co-ed league. 

“There’s a wide variation on how they play,” Mourton said.

Some guys play hard and give the women a challenge, while others don’t want them out on the ice and either play too hard or play too easy, Mourton said. 

Aside from those issues, the team is looking forward to a good year and will be working with a group of women who range from no hockey experience to expert ability. Anyone who wants to learn will have the chance during the season, Mourton said. 

With five practices under its belt, the team will get its first taste of live game action this Saturday. 

“Some girls are a little intimidated about the games,” Wold said. “It will be neat to see them take a chance on something and overcome their fears and just go out there and do it.”