March 3, 2004
'We play by the same rules'
Local women's hockey team nets first win of the season
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
A locker room by any other name still smells like sweat.
And make no mistake about it, when members of the Cherrywood Chiefs Women's Hockey team play games or scrimmage, sweat they will.
They skate hard, play hard and compete hard, even during their twice-weekly scrimmage games. After practice Sunday afternoon at the Howe Arena, members of the team glowed with exercise and pride in their athletic accomplishments, engaging in what has traditionally been a male sport.
"The only rule change is no checking in women's hockey," said Marlene Bienkowski of Acme, whose husband, Dennis, is the team's assistant coach. "Other than that, we play by all the same rules."
Now the team is reveling in a trophy received late last month during the Ludington Women's Hockey Tournament. They won their first game of the season against the Ludington, with Katie Bishop scoring a hat trick that boosted their score to 5-4 over the host team.
During the tournament, the team had previously chalked up one loss and later went on to tie with Cadillac. In the championship round, the Chiefs lost 2-0 against Grand Rapids but still brought home a trophy.
The 28-member team includes women ages 21-50 united by one desire: outskate and outscore their opponents. The team began in 1992 with the understated posting of a 3x5 card at the Howe Arena looking for women players for a few games. Bienkowski called the number and the team began, with its roster fluctuating over the years in terms of numbers and talent.
"We would wait for our kids' games to end and take their equipment," recalled Bienkowski of her early years on the team. "It would be all sweaty and stinky, nothing smells like hockey equipment, but we put it on to play."
Many members still make strategic purchases of children's equipment, planning to take it over when their offspring outgrow it. Others have outfitted themselves thanks to years of Mother's Day and birthday gift requests.
While they haven't had much luck this year in the win column, the women have a blast on the ice.
"I can't believe I'm 44 years old and learning how to ice skate and play hockey," said Lori Dubro, who has been a member of the team for one year. "The way I look at it, this is my vacation; I get out of the house and when I hit the ice, I don't think about the kids, my life, the world, anything but hockey."
Dubro and buddy Sunny Letizio both joined a year ago, drawn onto the ice after years of watching their husbands and sons play hockey. They have gradually gained some mastery over a game they had merely viewed countless times.
Two of the team's current players, however, came up through the Grand Traverse Hockey Association, playing from a young age. In contrast, neither Dubro nor Letizio had even skated before. They spent much of last season mastering basic skills and learning the game's rules, persisting because they were having a great time.
"I couldn't get away from the boards last season, I had to literally hold onto them last year because I couldn't skate," she laughingly recalled. "Some of the women are very good and have been playing for ten years. Then we came along, but they're very kind to us. Plus Sunny and I are in our 40s and some of the 20 year olds are saying, 'You can do it, Lori.'"
Letizio, owner of the Cherrywood Pharmacy, was so intrigued by the game she stepped up to be the Chief's sponsor.
"After watching the kids skate, it looked like so much fun, especially as they get older and begin to skate like the wind," she said. "Of course, it will take us a lifetime to get that good."
The Chiefs practice two times a week during hockey season and play games against teams from Cadillac, Petoskey and Cheboygan. Each of those smaller towns sports multiple women's hockey teams, a goal that many team members have for Traverse City.
"How is it that Cadillac and Cheboygan can have four teams and we have only one?" asked Letizio rhetorically and hopefully.
For more information on the Cherrywood Chiefs, call Marlene Bienkowski at 938-2436.