Ladies face off on ice
For the eighth consecutive year, the city Parks and Recreation Department and the Whitefish women's hockey league will host the women's Winter Face-Off ice hockey tournament Dec. 4-6 at the Stumptown Ice Den.
Ten teams from Canada, Washington and Montana will be competing, including two local women's teams, the Whitefish Wailers and the Northern Lights.
The Wailers edged the Kootenay Wildcats in a shootout for the title last year.
"The level of our play is getting better and better," Wailers player Lini Reading said. "We weren't born with skates on our feet like the Canadians, but the team is committed to getting better."
Reading said defending the title will be a tough task for the Wailers, formerly known as the Northern Lights.
"The teams from Fernie and Kootenay should be extremely competitive," she said. "But it's hard to tell. The teams are always different. People get pregnant or have babies and that changes things. We just know it's going to be hard."
Wailer coach Josh Steele is upbeat about the team's chances in the tourney.
"I think we're going to be strong," Steele said. "We are probably much stronger going into the tourney this year than we were last year. We're much stronger defensively and we're blessed to have a great keeper in Jen Corp."
A large advantage for the Wailers this season comes from the team's depth.
According to Steele, there are about 20 women who could vie for a spot on the Wailers roster.
Steele says it's going to be a fantastic tournament for spectators, too.
"It's super fun to watch, everyone is there to have fun," he said.
Since checking isn't permitted in women's games, tactics and puck handling skills must be used to dominate the ice. Yet, Reading warns, you'll probably see some bodies flying.
"There's no checking but it's still a contact sport," she said. "Sometimes a little bit of it happens, but it's never intentional."
Game times for the tournament will be posted at the Stumptown Ice Den with championship games on Sunday morning at 9:15 and 11.