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Wolverines Girls Hockey Team Leads the Pack

Hockey is a fantastic sport for girls, in spite of what many may think. Hockey is still generally thought of a game for men and boys, but the Hoffman Estates Park District (HE Parks) finds that girls and women do very well in the sport.

In fact, as evidenced last week on myhockeyrankings.com, the Wolverines Girls Hockey team were ranked number one in the nation for girls U14 tier II hockey. Today, the team remains number one in Illinois. The girls' hockey program started at HE Parks in 2014 with a handful of participants and it has grown to a robust program with more than 40 girls participating in 2017.

Because of their tremendous success, the HE Park Board named the team its Best of Hoffman for October.

"Although their skill levels varied, the team proved that through team unity, hard work and commitment, you can rise to the top," said Randy Jordan, Assistant General Manager of Ice Operations for the Hoffman Estates Park District's Triphahn Ice Arena.

The Wolverines have had went undefeated through the regular Spring 2015 season, placing second in the North West Hockey League (NWHL) Squirt Championship. During the Fall season of 2015, the team secured second place in the Squirt NWHL with an 8-2-2 record. In the Spring of 2016, the team won the NWHL Pee Wee Championship.

"It's the ultimate sport for health and comradery," said Jordan, who has been coaching the sport for more than 40 years. He added "girls are fantastic at learning the fine aspects of the game."

During the Fall of 2016, the Wolverines program expanded to two teams playing in the NWHL. These teams had an amazing season with a 9-2-1 record. The team also secured first place against the boys in the Chicago Thanksgiving Classic tournament and first place in the Girls Irish Cup in South Bend.

In the Spring of 2017, the Wolverines program grew again to three teams. These girls played on a Spring tournament team, while the other two teams continued playing in the NWHL. The tournament team took first place against the boys at the Chicago May Madness tournament. They finished second place at the Dragon's Lair tournament, losing by one point to a Wisconsin AAA girls' team.

The team finished off the Spring season with another first place win at the Rockford tournament. In the Fall of 2017, the Wolverines Girls team was able to secure a spot in the Northern Illinois Hockey League playing tier II hockey. The team started the seeding round 7-0 in the U14 division.

The teams play during both fall and spring hockey seasons, and unlike other programs, these girls have continued to train and work together all summer. Their dedication to becoming stronger individuals and better players is shown through their commitment to not only the sport, but also to each other.

Hockey players at HE Parks have the opportunity to progress to play with the Wolverines Girls Hockey team at the Triphahn Ice Arena. For more information about the hockey program, contact Randy Jordan at rjordan@heparks.org or 847-285-5501.

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