“Each season we seem to start out slow and this year is no exception.” Head Coach Zac Vieau was talking about the North Shore Storm girls team. “Of course, we lost out on most of this past week because of the snowstorm, but it changes real quick after Christmas with two to three games each week, plus the make-up games.”
Vieau continued, “We had some early wins and played Cloquet to a scoreless tie, which is pretty uncommon. We have played some of the top teams in our section with mixed results, playing both some very strong moments and some not so great.”
After Christmas, the Storm plays three games in the Herb Brooks tournament at Blaine. The first game will be against Western Wisconsin. Also in their pool are Detroit Lakes and a team from the Milwaukee area.
Coach Vieau concluded, “This year, it is only a varsity tournament, but we will bring some of our JV players along to give them the experience. Some of our young players who have moved up from U-12 are among our top varsity scorers and are playing on our top lines. We have a good mixture of ages and a number of high potential players.”
Coach Vieau suggested I visit with two of the young players who are playing on the top lines of the Storm in their first season. He describes both of them as extremely hard working, talented, and both are extremely positive. Reese Costley is an eighth grader in Two Harbors who also plays soccer and softball. “The best part of the season has been getting to meet new people and play with new friends. I have played hockey since I was very young and I just love the sport.” Reese says that the tie with Cloquet really seemed to turn the season around for the Storm and was one of the most exciting experiences of the season.
Stella Lapointe is an eighth grader at William Kelley who plays softball and is on the trap shooting team in addition to hockey. Stella has really loved the team atmosphere. “All the girls are very encouraging and the older girls have been great at teaching and making the younger girls feel welcome.” Her favorite moment of the season was the first game when Reese got her first varsity point. “It was so exciting to see how happy everyone was for her.” Like her teammates, Stella is excited to play in the metro area because of the opportunity to play against new teams and “all the team bonding stuff that happens.”
