The Morgantown Lady Blades are trying to put hockey on the map in West Virginia.

The only all-girls’ program in the state made its first appearance in the organization’s history in district competition, playing in the Mid-American tournament over the weekend in Kittanning, Pa.

The Lady Blades, who competed in Tier II 14U division, have tried to build and develop the program for a couple years so they can take part in local and national tournaments.

Morgantown coach Andy Idler said it was special for the team to get a chance to play in the district round.

“It’s amazing, absolutely amazing,” Idler said. “The girls have worked hard all year. They made the decision in last year’s playoffs that they wanted to do this. So they started this summer and they worked hard, and even with losses they’ve had great spirit.”

The Lady Blades (15-1-2 in the regular season) didn’t fare the best against the strong competition. The team was outscored 17-2 in three losses, but the girls gained some valuable lessons.

“We did not have the highest expectations coming here,” Idler said. “We knew that we were going to do the best we could. We brought two of the games to the wire and got blown out in one of them. But, all in all, we learned as a team, came together tighter as a team. I think we learned more about mental toughness and resilience and closure, and we’re walking away winners anyway.”

The Lady Blades are comprised of seven core girls who started with the program seven years ago and have stuck together all the way up through the ranks.

“It’s a cohesion that’s really a strength,” Idler said. “As a coach and as a developmental coach, defense is our strength. We’ve won games with defense.”

Idler emphasizes an aggressive style of defender and strong goalie play.

The Lady Blades are a very young squad. During the regular season, 9- and 10-year-old players were competing. However, for the district tournament, only players with birth years 2000-2003 were allowed to play.

Of the 13-player roster, Idler said nine of the girls would be back next season. Idler has bigger goals at the district tournament for his team.

“Next year’s goal is coming to win,” Idler said. “We’re excited. We’re ready.”

Scoring Binge for Gilmour Sabres Center

Annemarie Fitzgerald was on her game over the weekend.

The 13-year-old Gilmour (Ohio) Sabres center tallied a tournament-high 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) as her Tier II 14U team advanced to the Toyota-USA Hockey National Championships later this month in Lansing, Mich.

“She’s a dynamite player. Probably the smartest player that I’ve coached,” Gilmour coach Rick Filighera said. “She sees the ice. She’s a terrific skater. She handles the pick. She just has good vision and she loves the game.”

Fitzgerald scored a pair of goals in two games and had a four-goal game in Gilmour’s other victory. With nine assists, it is evident Fitzgerald isn’t a selfish player.

“Absolutely not,” Filighera said. “To be honest with you, I see her as more of a playmaker than I do as someone who’s going to be a sniper like [Steven] Stamkos. She does score goals, too, and she’s still a work in progress in that area. ... I feel like she would rather make a play than shoot sometimes. She’s definitely going to be a good overall player.”

Fitzgerald grew up playing boys’ hockey through her peewee years; however, she’s played on some tournament teams with the girls.

“She’s a Tier I player, but because there’s no Tier I organization in Cleveland, she wasn’t going to drive to Pittsburgh to play hockey,” Filighera said. “She plays high school here at Gilmour Academy, so this [tournament team] was a really good option for her to be able to play with her own age group, and she’s excelled.”

From Near and Far

The Mid-American District pulls in teams from quite a wide range of distances. With programs coming from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana, some teams had quite a hike to get to Kittanning, located in west central Pennsylvania for the tournament.

Culver Academy (Culver, Indiana) earned top honor for traveling the farthest at 430.6 miles. The Columbus Blue Jackets (Columbus, Ohio) were a distant second at 225.8 miles.

Teams Advancing to Nationals

The Mid-American District is sending six teams to nationals: Tier I 14U, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite; Tier I 16U, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite; Tier I 19U, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite; Tier II 14U, Gilmour Sabres; Tier II 16U, Steel City Select (it didn’t have to compete in the district tournament, because it was the only team); and Tier II 19U, Armstrong Arrows.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.