TITLE: Girls ready to take slap shots into history books this week DATE: February 19th, 1995 Copyright (c) 1995, St. Paul Pioneer Press History will be made this week when the first girls state high school hockey tournament in the nation is held at Aldrich Arena. The preliminary round will be at 12:30 and 2 p.m. Friday, with finals at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Some are surprised at the strength of the first-year program. The Minnesota State High School League decided in 1994 to include girls hockey as an official sport. Twenty-four teams were needed for the League to sponsor a tournament; that number was reached by summer's end. Those who know hockey are not surprised at the booming interest in the sport. Minnesota has a history of good hockey at the club level for girls and women. But longtime club players like Emily Sherman are excited that girls hockey is an official high school sport. ``It gives girls a real boost to have a state tournament,'' Sherman said. ``It's not only the girls who have a chance to play. We're already seeing huge growth in participation by younger girls. Last year we had 13 teams for girls 8-12. This year there are 50 teams in the metro area.'' These girls, just like their brothers who start playing hockey at a young age, will have better skills when they reach high school. Thousands of boys play hockey, so it's tough for a boy to make the varsity squad. Girls who have tried to play on boys teams have had to be very good. When Libby Witchger made the team in Wayzata in 1990 she was the only girl. It's clear from research at Melpomene Institute to document this first year of high school hockey that many girls have been waiting for the opportunity. Many became interested in hockey because a father or brother played. Because there have been so few women hockey players who have received press, most of their role models are men. Some of those men are very supportive; others, particularly boy hockey players, are sometimes less than enthusiastic. A sample of some of the typical comments: ``Girls can't skate, they're sloppy!'' ``Girls can't play a guy's sport.'' ``It's a waste of money to let girls play.'' ``Girls games are stupid, I'd never go to one!'' ``Girls are taking our ice time.'' Some of the comments are justified. The caliber of play this season is spotty. The experience level varies greatly from player to player. Ask the girls how they feel, and they are enthusiastic about playing on a girls team. One important difference is attitude. ``When I played with boys, they made fun of me, even if I was good.'' ``It's more fun because the guys always thought they were better than me.'' Girls are determined to improve their skills. When asked what they would like to accomplish this first season, only a few mentioned winning. Girls talked about improving their stick handling or their slap shot, scoring a goal. Others hoped to build a good team. One girl summed it up: ``Win some games, learn a lot, get the program grounded.'' The tournament this weekend will prove that girls hockey at the high school level has arrived. A new group of women is reading the sports pages to see how their favorite team fared. The lopsided scores will be less common in 1996. Hockey fans say Apple Valley, Stillwater and South St. Paul are capable of winning the tourney. Many of those in attendance will be girls whose teams did not make the cut. They'll be there because they want to see good hockey. They realize the addition of hockey as an official high school sport is giving them more equal treatment. Judy Mahle Lutter's column appears each Sunday in the Pioneer Press. She can be reached by fax at 642-1871 or by writing to: Melpomene Institute/column, 1010 University Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55104. CAPTION: Photo:Bill Alkofer/Pioneer Press A season of spotty but enthusiastic play culminates this week in the nation's first state high school girls hockey tournament.