Special to USAHockey.com
In this version of the movie “Mystery, Alaska”, the women are the ones with the pads, sticks and skates. In the northern metropolis of Anchorage, women have been suiting up and taking to the ice for the better part of three decades.
On the eve of the opening of the season, the Anchorage Women’s Hockey League (AWHL) can look back with pride on its evolution from shinny to organized hockey.
The AWHL was established in 1989, but the history of women’s hockey in Anchorage extends far beyond.
“Women’s hockey in Anchorage goes back to the late 1970s. They didn’t have a rink in those days, so they used to hitchhike 350 miles to Fairbanks in the middle of the winter to play,” explained Laura Bliss Spaan, president of the AWHL.
As for Spaan, she’s been active with the AWHL for the past seven years.
“My son had been playing hockey for many years before, and one day he told me to try it. I had no experience whatsoever and remember thinking ‘What am I doing here?’ Despite my initial reservations, I had the time of my life and I’ve never looked back,” she said.
With 190 players and 13 teams, the AWHL is now one of the largest adult women’s leagues in the state of Alaska. The league has two separate divisions for the varying skill levels of the players.
“Our season runs from September to March, and we have two tiers. Tier 1 is for the advanced players and Tier 2 is for all skill levels,” Spaan said. “The average age of our players is around 40, but we have one 17-year-old and one 61-year-old this coming season.”
The motto of the AWHL is “bringing women of all skill levels together to play hockey in a fun, safe, and supportive atmosphere.”
The league has taken efforts to promote skill development.
“In the summer before the season starts, we put together a two-day clinic to introduce the game to our newcomers. Pam Dreyer, who used to play goalie for Team USA and is an Anchorage native, has come and run clinics for us,” Spaan said.
The league tries to create balanced teams to maximize player satisfaction.
“At the beginning of the season we divide up the teams,” Spaan said. “We let the Tier 1 teams divide themselves up. For Tier 2, we try to even out the skill levels between the teams and balance that with playing with friends.”
The biggest challenge faced by the AWHL has been finding ice time for the growing amount of teams they now field.
“As we’ve added more and more teams, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find ice to play on. On some nights we’ve had to start games as late as 10:15. We’re basically maxed out on the number of teams due to the lack of ice,” Spaan said. “Finding the balance between membership fees and cost of ice is another area we constantly struggle with. We’re always looking for ways to trim the budget so that we keep the fees down.”
Being part of an adult recreational league means that many traditions have developed between teams over the years.
“Our team is definitely one of the weirder teams,” Spaan said. “The big stuffed fish is one of them. We throw it out on the ice when we score our first goal every game. Every once in a while, depending on the referee, we’ll have to put it away. There’s also Shirley the mannequin, we like to stick her near the goal post. Sometimes, players from the other team will take a swipe at her.”
As an organization, every year the AWHL participates in the Fools on Ice Tournament.
“Fools on Ice is held every year on or around the April 1 weekend. We try to be there to support it every year. Some teams from as far away as Los Angeles have traveled here to participate,” Spaan said.
Spaan is quick to deflect any praise for the success of the AWHL, but pointed out a couple of volunteers that have made a big difference, Lucas Vargis and Patrick Cwiaka.
“Pat has done a little bit of everything, from designing our new logo to coaching one of our teams before. Lucas designs our website in addition to coaching one of our teams,” Spaan said.
Along those lines, Spaan describes their website as the single most important tool for the organization and is used for scheduling, registration and communication.
“The website has allowed us to manage the growth and keep everyone organized. We use it for almost everything that we do,” says Spaan.
Spaan’s enjoyment from participating in women’s hockey is two-fold.
“Hockey is such a great stress reliever. Once you get out onto the ice, all of your worries disappear and it’s all about having fun with your friends. From a family standpoint, hockey has allowed me to bond further with my son. We have something in common that we share, it connects us. Both my son and my husband are such great fans.”
Now that registration is complete, teams divided and schedules decided, the season is just about to being and Spaan is chomping on the bit.
“I just can’t wait to get out there,” Spaan said.
Story courtesy Red Line Editorial.
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