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Team after Alex Stalock, and the Faulk Team after Justin Faulk. "We try to incorporate history," Gross said. "We just want the kids, from when they show up at the arena to when they play, to know that from this association, you can become somebody if you keep pushing. They see those jerseys hanging on the wall, and the name of the arena itself, it's pretty cool." SMALL BUT MIGHTY Despite its impressive list of notable alumni, the South St. Paul Youth Hockey Association isn't large by any means, compared to its neighbors in surrounding metro towns. During the 2020-21 season, there were 178 registered players. Gross sees that smaller size as a potential advantage, noting there could be a 1:4 ratio of coaches to players in some instances. "There is a benefit to being in a smaller association and a tighter community," Gross said. "You have a lot of parents that want to be involved with their kids, so we have a lot of really good coaches. When you have smaller numbers, you're getting a lot more one-on-one time." While there are generations of hockey fami- lies that have passed through South St. Paul, the association is glad to welcome many new faces. "One of the values we try to teach is that we have to be welcoming to everybody," Gross said. "There are a lot of kids that are new to the sport that want to come play, because they see other hockey players having fun. We are welcoming and want to make sure that they enjoy themselves." To increase the value of playing for South St. Paul, the association is focused on keep- ing costs low. It's also motivated to provide quality coaching and maintain good commu- nication with parents. "We want to attract anyone who wants to play," Gross said. "There's no registration fee. That's something we're really pushing. There's also equipment assistance. We're just trying to make sure anyone that has an inter- est has the ability to play if they want to." GIRLS' HOCKEY PIONEERS South St. Paul has been a dominant competi- tor in girls' hockey. Since competing in the first-ever girls' high school hockey game in Minnesota his- tory in 1994, the Packers have continued to be pioneers for girls on the ice. Dave Palmquist has been running the girls' program since its inception, leading the high school team to four state champi- onships and 15 state tournament appear- ances. But perhaps most importantly, he knows success starts at the youth level. "Some of the high school players will come skate with our youth," Gross said. "They're high school players, but kids still really look up to them. That's another moti- vation to say, 'hey, that's really cool. I want to be able to be like him or her someday.'" Girls that once learned to skate in South St. Paul have made their way into the col- lege hockey ranks—inspiring a new genera- tion to keep dreaming big. "There's a lot of pride," Gross said. "Just so much pride. A lot of people like to talk about the past, and that's great. We're also excited about making sure that sticks around for the future." N O V / D E C 2 0 2 1 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 17 "We just want the kids, from when they show up at the arena to when they play, to know that from this association, you can become somebody if you keep pushing." South St.Paul's 8U teams are named after NHL players Alex Stalock and Justin Faulk, supporters of their community association. –Andy Gross President of the South St. Paul Youth Hockey Association