USA Hockey Magazine

Like many girls who have played in girls' and boys' programs, Kaitlyn says there is a big difference between the style of play, especial- ly when they start to get older. " I d o n ' t r e a l l y t h i n k there's a big deal about playing with boys until the game gets a little dif- f e r e n t . O n c e y o u s t a r t hitting, that's when I feel like the boys' and girls' game starts to change a little bit," she says. "Boys' hockey defensively is eas- ier because you do have to go for the puck, but you can use your body to hit them. For girls, it's more finesse. You have to actu- ally angle them." The growth of the hock- ey community in Boise has been a family affair for many—including the Schlakes. Kaitlyn's mom, Lee Ann, runs the women's programs at Idaho Ice World, one of the two facilities in Boise. Like her daughter, Lee Ann credits the learn-to-play program with getting more girls in the game. "It's growing," she said. "I have seen that as the girls get older into their teens, a lot of them drop out because they have other interests, other sports that aren't as expen- sive or don't take as much time. But we start off with at least a team of girls in the [8U/10U] group." L e e A n n b e l i e ve s t h e m a j o r i t y o f n e w women players are coming in because they have a family member playing, whether it's their child or a partner. "But that goes along with the guys, too," she says. "We have a beginner adult development clinic that we started. And a lot of those guys that join are the ones that have kids playing." Lucy Spiess is a 13-year-old who has been playing for more than half of her life, and plays on multiple teams in Boise and around the state, both girls and coed. She started because her dad and brother both play. In the seven years she has been playing, Spiess has seen more girls finding their way onto the ice. "We've just been trying to motivate more girls to come out and try it," she says. "I think it's working, and we have a lot more girls that are playing now." As the girls' program grows in Boise, the more experi- enced players have become the gatekeepers for new gen- erations learning the game. "I'm just excited that more girls are joining," Lee Ann says. "There's a group of 12 girls that have come out of the learn-to-play program that are starting to play in the Mites and just seeing them run around together and just being on the ice together, it's really fun." Although the last few years h a v e b r o u g h t s i g n i f i c a n t improvements to girls' and w o m e n 's h o c ke y i n B o i s e , there is still a way to go. The e f f o r t s o f Ka i t l y n a n d h e r mother, along with other dedicated hockey families in the area, will help it get there. "My vision for the girls is just to keep grow- ing the program," Kaitlyn says. " You look at other places like Colorado and they have girls going from 8U and all the way up. And they have multiple teams. But is that realistic right now for Idaho? No, probably not. That's probably going to take 10 years, but I just want at least a place where girls can play if they want to." P Jaclyn Brandt is a freelance writer and avid adult hockey player in Boise, Idaho. 46 // JUNE 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS COURTESY OF Boise State University; SUNY Morrisville; Jaclyn Brandt Kaitlyn Schlake continues to impart her knowledge and love of the game to the next generation of girls in Idaho. In her four seasons with SUNY Morrisville, Kaitlyn Schlake, fourth from left, made her mark with her hard work on and off the ice. H O M E G R O W N

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