"Pobeda!”
Hard charging and playing to win, 20 girls on the Northstars U-19 travel team have their sights set on two things in March: winning the state championship and winning the Little Caesar's Amateur Hockey League finals.
Last year in their inaugural year, the team finished second in the Little Caesar's tournament at the Joe Louis Arena, so the returning players have some unfinished business.
"We've gotten a lot better this year, we've got a lot of new talent,” said Danika Baker, a junior at Traverse City West Senior High School.
In just one season, the Northstars have become the team to beat, which cranks up the intensity of each game as they build a record that will qualify them for playoffs.
"Everyone's out to get us,” said Jessie Campbell, a junior at Gaylord High School.
Starting this year with the Russian word for victory as their motto, the tight-knit team of girls jumped an age bracket after competing last season in U-16. Facing off against teams boasting both years of travel experience and older players — the oldest Northstar is 17 and the youngest 12, making them a young team in their age bracket — they are holding their own.
"The teams we're playing are older, stronger and faster, and our girls are stepping it up,” said Keith Gillis, head coach of the Northstars. "It's definitely a remarkable season for remarkable young ladies, we're rather excited.”
Almost midway through the season, their record is 24-9-6, including tournaments, and sit atop the U-19 Little Caesar's league standings.
"We're doing great, the teams we've lost to have all been Canadian teams,” noted Gillis. "We went to Chicago this past weekend and played in the upper bracket, the AAA bracket, and we made it to the finals.”
In a typical move, Gillis signed his team up for the toughest division in that three-day tournament, which he knew attracted a lot of good teams.
"It's more of a confidence builder because the girls are playing the best of the best,” he said of their two wins before the 2-1 loss in the finals. "It really does you no good to play a team in a tournament and beat them 14-0. If you want to get better, you have to challenge yourself.”
For his players, who eat, drink and sleep hockey, the rigorous games and tough competition have forged them into one big family. Keeping it loose in the locker room with loud music, talking and laughing with each other all the time, the team has also taken up crocheting. On long trips or during down times, they are turning donated yarn into hats, scarves and mittens. The plan is to give their creations to the Father Fred Foundation before Christmas.
"Last year I made some mittens and the girls were like, 'Teach me to do that,'” said Baker. "It just went from there.”
"We've been teaching each other,” said Campbell, adding of all the time spent with her 19 teammates: "It doesn't get old, not with these girls.”
The team faces a packed weekend schedule before the Christmas break with one or more game each week. Gillis leans on his older players to be team leaders and help newer or younger players gain the physical and mental skills for success.
"We have a great group of older girls, they definitely set good examples and are good role models,” he said. "Most coaches look for one or two leaders in a group and I've seen eight or nine leaders — our younger players are really doing their best and our older ones are really helping them out.”