It may
be hard to believe that a team that had trouble getting enough
players to compete could ultimately challenge for a state
hockey title, but that is exactly what the girls U-14 Springfield
Jr. Pics did this year.
The current collection of Jr. Pics includes a number of
players from last year's Wilbraham Twin Meadows team. That
club didn't return enough players to field a team, so those
who did return joined the newly-created Pics.
The Pics plays out of Fitzpatrick Arena in
Holyoke, but the team's roster includes girls from Springfield,
East Longmeadow, Belchertown, Wilbraham, Amherst, Ludlow,
Chicopee, Easthampton, Northfield, Gill and Holland.
The Pics, who finished around .500 in about 55 games this
year, went to the Massachusetts State Girls Hockey Tournament
in Marlboro March 19-20 expecting to hold their own, but
they did more than that.
"We went with expectations of doing all right," said
first year head coach Jerry Tabb. "We went 3-0 and lost
in the finals to Assabet Valley, which is an under-13 team
that won the under-12 nationals last year."
The Pics' success in the tournament was even sweeter because
they faced off against their local rivals, the Junior Coyotes.
The Coyotes are based in Enfield but practice in West Springfield
and are the Pics' chief competition for players.
"We were 2-0 in pool play and the Coyotes were 1-1,
so they needed to win to force a three-way tie with another
team," Tabb said. "But we beat them 5-0 and we
got to advance."
Many of the girls on the team started their
hockey careers playing with boys, but they like playing with
other girls better. |
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"The
boys kind of want to do everything by themselves more," said Ellen Strycharz, who is 14
and in her fourth year of playing, her second with the girls. "We
use each other more, it's more of a team game."
Tabb's daughter Jamie is in her first year
playing with the girls.
"There's a little more communication
with the girls," Jamie said. " It's been a
great year for me. They treated me like one of them,
and I love playing with them."
Coming into the season Tabb did not have
much of an idea how well the girls would play together, but
as the season went on he began to see that this team can
play and expectations for the coming seasons are already
starting.
"We didn't really know what to expect
because this is a young team and for many of them it's the
first time playing together," said Tabb. "We
took it week by week and really came together as a team
nicely. Our goal next year is to make the nationals."
In addition to Tabb and Strycharz, the Pics
are Sarah Berhier, Kayla Collins, Mackenzie Collins, Michelle
Dorsey, Alyssa Flemati, Amanda Fontaine, Mackey Hemphill,
Keri Lambert, Erin Marley, Erin McCullough, Jen Miller and
Samantha Pion.
Before practicing for next year, though,
the Pics traveled to Toronto Easter weekend for another pretty
big tournament.
"It's the largest women's tournament
in the world with over 600 teams participating," Tabb
said.
But next year will begin right after that.
"Tryouts start April 2, 3 and 4," Tabb
said.
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