Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/774246
19 THE GOAL There are more than 73,000 registered female play- ers in the U.S. There are only 22 roster spots on the national and Olympic teams every given year. So what do you do if you want to continue to play hockey at an elite level after college but don't make the cut to wear Team USA? Halldorson said that's where the idea for the Whitecaps came about. Established in 2004, the Minnesota Whitecaps operate as a post-collegiate opportunity for players from the Midwest and beyond. The team is independent of any league affiliation right now, and the organization oper- ates on funds provided by supporters and donors. It works especially well in Minnesota, where the cream of the crop in hockey talent is usually found. "I think girls [in Minnesota] have been following their local high school teams and the college teams that are in the area, and also Olympic teams…and there's this sort of niche in between college and the national team level where the Whitecaps sort of fill that," Halldorson said. "We're not as well-known… but that's what we're trying to change, because I think the girls who are paying attention and going to these high school and college games, they're going to see a lot of those players that played around here and they can continue to follow them at the next level." Rose Alleva was one of those girls. A Red Wing native and former Princeton Tigers standout, Alleva recalls watching the Whitecaps in middle school and high school. After graduating col- lege in 2014 she spent some time on the East Coast before returning back home to Minnesota. Like a fish to frozen water Alleva wanted to know first things first: "Where can I play hockey?" She made the Whitecaps roster for the first time last season and is in her second year with the team. "JUST BEING ABLE TO PLAY ON THE TEAM NOW IS AMAZING, KNOWING THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING AND KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE FOR THE YOUNGER GIRLS." – ROSE ALLEVA FEBRUARY.2017 // MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM