The Bay Area Ice Bears co-op girls’ hockey team are once again state champions after defeating the Central Wisconsin Storm 8-0 on Saturday, March 8th. This avenges a championship loss to the Storm last year and marks the second state title in three years for the program.
Three key members of the team were NDA students Addi Dahl, Ava McDonald and Kaedyn Kitchenmaster.
Kitchenmaster, the youngest of the three, has been playing hockey for eight years and switched positions to goalie when she was 11. She has some sensational roots when it comes to hockey.
“The person who inspired me to play hockey was my uncle, Bobby Robbins, who had a great career and even played for the Boston Bruins in the NHL,” she said. “He always told me to never give up, keep working and approach every practice with a positive mindset.”
Addison Dahl has been a key part to the program, and her contributions were recognized with a First Team All-Conference award. She had a feeling midway through the season that this team had the potential to be special.
“The moment from the season that sticks out to me was when we played Gentry Academy. We were down four goals going into the third period, and we ended up scoring five unanswered goals to win 7-5,” recalled Dahl. “As a team, this was a really important game for us to prove that we were the best team in the state, and it showed that we were always going to give it our best every game.”
As previously mentioned, the three players are on a co-op team and Ava McDonald talked about how the team came together throughout the season.
“The advantage is that we can all set aside our school lives and really focus on hockey. It allows us to have a close relationship, and we all look forward to going to practice so that we can see each other,” she stated. “I am proud of all we have accomplished in our time together and know that our achievements this year have made an impact that will carry on in the future years of the Ice Bears program.”
Each of the girls was asked what being on the team has meant to them and what they have learned about themselves through hockey. They all were very sincere in their responses.
“I have learned that attitude during a game can go a long way. Sometimes, when I was not performing my best, I would get frustrated and angry with myself. My teammates taught me how to lighten up, and they would cheer me up when I was feeling down,” said McDonald.
“My favorite part of playing hockey is just the feeling I get every time I step on the ice. It is like a home away from home for me, and I always look forward to being on the ice, especially after a long day of school,” added Dahl. “Another one of my favorite parts about playing hockey is that I have met some of my best friends because of this sport, and I continue to meet new people on every team that I play on.”
“I’ve come to realize that my teammates are like a second family to me. I’ve also learned the importance of respecting one another and how to build strong relationships,” said Kitchenmaster. “Hockey has taught me how to work with others and form bonds that go beyond the rink.”
Leaving a legacy is hard to do, but these three have already accomplished that. The noteworthy thing about it is that they all have time left to add to their mark on the Ice Bears.
