Inaugural girls hockey games set for Feb. 28
DOVER-FOXCROFT — When the Piscataquis County Ice Arena opened its doors in 2019, young hockey players had the opportunity to lace up their skates and pick up a stick as they learned the sport through the Penquis Youth Hockey Association.
In the half dozen years since, the group has grown to about 75 players across six coed teams with 25 girls playing on Penquis Panthers squads. The girls reside in towns such as Dover-Foxcroft, Charleston, Sebec, Milo and Corinth, and their level of experience varies from playing since 2019 to this being their first season of organized ice hockey.
To celebrate the growth of girls hockey in the region, a pair of scrimmages are planned for Saturday, Feb. 28 between two all-girls Penquis Panthers teams and the Maine Inferno.
ALL-GIRL GAMES — The Penquis Panthers U12 Indian Hill Trading Post have a faceoff in the defensive zone during a Feb. 15 game vs. the Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association U12 North Stars at the Piscataquis County Ice Arena in Dover-Foxcroft. The Penquis Panthers will host a pair of all-girls scrimmages on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a U10/12 game at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. U12/14 exhibition against Maine Inferno squads.
Puck drops for the U10/12 game at 10 a.m. and at 1 p.m. the U12/14 girls take to the ice.
Siting on the second level of Piscataquis County Ice Arena prior to a game prior to a game for the Penquis Panthers U12 Indian Hill Trading Post team, PYHA Girls Program Coordinator Sarah Robinson, a member of board of directors who leads marketing and sponsorship efforts, said her now 12-year-old daughter began playing when the arena opened.
“There was barely anyone in the locker room and now the locker rooms are packed, there are 25 girls across the organization,” Robinson said. She said it is exciting to now see more than two dozen girls playing in the association.
The girls program coordinator position was established several months ago.
CELEBRATING WITH THE BLACK BEARS — Girls from the Penquis Panthers Youth Hockey Association got to meet the University of Maine Black Bear women’s team following a 4-2 win vs. Merrimack College on Jan. 24 at the Alfond Arena in Orono.
“I’m hopeful there is just going to be more opportunity for our girls coming up,” Robinson said. The PYHA is working with the Maine Hockey Association to see how the girls can compete across the state.
“People really like this rink,” she said about the newer facility which has helped promote interest in ice hockey. “We have a friendly board and the parents, it’s like a hockey family.”
“As the Penquis Youth Hockey Association we just want to see all girls hockey in whatever capacity that looks like,” Robinson said, saying some of the older girls may have the opportunity to play in high school with the Penobscot Pioneers cooperative team.
The first stage of the new girls hockey development will be the Feb. 28 scrimmages against the well-established Maine Interno. The Penquis Panthers U8 team will play inbetween the girls contests.
“We are going to have specialty T-shirts on sale for a fundraiser and we are just hoping to have a big crowd of people come and support the growth and the development they have been working on here,” Robinson said. “I just think it will be exciting for the girls to showcase the hard work they have done.”
Feb. 28 attendees are encouraged to wear blue or purple to support the growth of girls hockey in the region.
The girls will practice the Friday before the scrimmages. Coaches are volunteering as they are excited to help, Robinson said.
“We are all here because we are fanatics and love hockey,” she said. “We have a lot of people here that we are really lucky to have. A lot of the success of the players, the player development, is really because of the coaches.”
“I just hope the game will be a big deal and people will come out to support the girls,” Robinson said. “It’s the first time in history that Dover-Foxcroft has had a girls hockey team so it’s going to be fun.”