ROCHESTER, Mich. — At times, the crowd at a 2017 Tier I Girls National Championship Game can look a lot like a women’s college hockey coaches’ convention.

Aside from the parents and fans cheering on the teams in the bleachers, college coaches are scattered throughout the crowd, sporting sweatshirts and hats that feature the logo of the team they work for. These coaches watch players closely, jotting down notes into a notebook or typing information into an iPad.

Move up to the national level, and you will see U.S. Women’s National Team players like Megan Keller and Kendall Coyne. With this tournament producing so many high-end players, coaches from all levels of college hockey have made this tournament an annual recruiting stop.

Grant Kimball is a 14-time attendee of the event. He’s worked as an assistant at three different Div. I women’s programs — Wayne State, North Dakota and Vermont. Now, he’s taken on the task of starting a Div. III program at Aurora University in Aurora, Ill.

With plenty of roster spots to fill, Kimball is looking to build his list of recruits. Kimball said, this tournament is a one-stop shop for himself and other coaches to scout the best talent.

“We get to see these girls play in an environment where every single game matters,” Kimball said. “At this age level, we can see how they play their position and look to see what things they are consistently good at.”

Detroit Belle Tire 16U head coach Mike Vigilante says it’s huge to have these girls get into this tournament and receive this kind of exposure. His team is in this year’s field after years of struggling to make it to Nationals while going up against the likes of Detroit Little Caesars and HoneyBaked.

“A lot of our girls want to play college hockey,” said Vigilante, who played collegiately at Lake Superior State. “Getting them a chance to be seen by college coaches is just one of the exciting parts of being in this tournament.”

After battling through tough competition at the state and district level, Belle Tire made its way to the semifinals, prevailing over another tough opponent — the Boston Jr Eagles, who were the No. 1 overall seed in 16U heading into the tournament.

Now, the team will moves into Sunday’s semifinals, which will likely feature plenty of college coaches in the audience. Despite this fact, Vigilante knows where his team’s focus is at.

“Subconsciously, they know these coaches are out there,” Vigilante said. “But when the time comes, they will be able to not think about that in focus on making it to Monday. This is a unique group that loves playing for each other.”