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"People were watching on TV and screaming, jumping around," said Leif Spears, president of the TRFAHA. "The kids knew winning State was a big deal, but I don't think they truly understood what they did. When they came back, they had an escort back into town and a meet-and-greet at the Legion with the trophy. I've never been a part of something like that. It was truly awesome." The Peewee squad wasn't the only TRF team to accomplish big things. The Squirt A team was District 16 champs. The 12U A girls team finished 3rd at the North Regional Tournament. The Mite Gold team had the experience of a lifetime, winning two games on Hockey Day Minnesota. " We have teams coming up that are going to rival that Peewee team," said Spears. "I'm super excited to see the next 3, 4, 5 years and what we produce out of this organization." GROWING THE GAME An emphasis on development and fun helps sustain the associ- ation's success and growth. The association offers power skating two times a week during the season and incorporated a "PEP Program" (Power, Edge, Performance) to teach the kids to gain space, protect the puck and develop good hand-eye coordination. Spears credits this station-based program with what he calls "a dra- matic jump" in puck possession skill for individual players.. "At the Mite level we start to develop more and more skills but at the same time we promote fun for them, so they want to come back," Spears said. "At the end of the year, we give them a hot dog and chip night and a medal for making it to the 17 N O V / D E C 2 0 2 4 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M next level. My son (a senior forward on the Prowlers' varsity last year) still remembers his hot dog night. It's something so small, but it makes such an impact." Spears also credits events such as the "Sunny Side of Hockey " summer fundraiser. That excitement has helped fuel the program's participation numbers, particularly the girls' program, which has added a 15U team due to rapid growth. "Our community is always willing to help out the youth, and we have parent volunteers that are willing to do whatever is needed, whether it's being a locker room monitor, getting kids fed after events or helping with fundraising," Spears said. "We also have a good thing going with our local businesses. They all pitch in and help when we ask, and sometimes even when we don't." HOME SWEET HOMES While many communities of similar size have struggled to find good ice for their young athletes to skate, that hasn't been a problem for Thief River families. In fact, TRF has the advantage of having not one, not two, but three quality facilities for their local hockey talent to call home. There's no question the acces- sibility of the Ralph Engelstad Arena ( built thanks to a $13.5 million donation from the TRF native in 2003, with a capacity of 3,593), the Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center ( built in 1969 with a capacity of 3,600) and The Old Arena ( built in 1936) has contributed to the organization's recent success. There's also little doubt that this trio of rinks has played a major role in attracting events such as the World Juniors, which featured future NHL superstars such as Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Getzlaf. Spears says the historical artifacts in each building–in the form of team photos, trophies and more–are draws in and of them- selves, and a reminder to young skaters of what came before them. "We have three rinks in a town of under 10,000 people, one of which is probably one of the nicest rinks in the state," said Spears. "We have a lot of teams that want to come up here to play at the (Ralph Engelstad) Arena. On the other side, we have The Old Arena. This rink can get really cold, but it's a very special rink. After our players move on to high school, some of them come back to help out with our youth teams. When they step back on the ice, it brings back memories of all the time they spent in this special arena."