Wild Staff Give Girls' Hockey Teams The Pro Treatment
STILLWATER, Minn. (WCCO) -- Two girls' 12U hockey teams played a game that'll go down as one for the ages.
Not only was it a big showdown between Roseville and Stillwater, but the Minnesota Wild made it the organization's first "Youth Hockey Spotlight." The goal is to bring the excitement of a NHL game experience at the Xcel Energy Center to the youth level for a day. The bonus for the girls is that it's a complete surprise, except for the coaches and players' parents being in on it.
Memories are etched onto the ice in the Minnesota. And for these girls who play for the Stillwater and Roseville 12U hockey teams, Tuesday's match up was one they'll never forget.
It started with their typical trip to the locker room which let them know their day would be anything but typical. Inside were personalized name placards for each player, a State of Hockey duffle bag, and Wild water bottle for each of them.
"When they got here to see that joy on their face, that's what we want. We wanted that shock," said Mike Wiltse, head coach for Roseville.
"It was exciting to see the locker room and that tons of people are here," said Stillwater player Kylie Ligday. The surprises, especially for her, were just getting started.
Minutes before game time, both teams learned they would have an extra bench coach. For Roseville it would be Wild assistant coach John Anderson. On the other side, Wild assistance coach Scott Stevens joined Stillwater. Both coaches gave them pep talks in the locker room before helping lead the teams out for their warm up.
"I'm just excited to be in Minnesota and Stillwater where hockey is so much fun and the games about fun and I hope these girls have fun tonight," said Stevens.
After the warmup, the girls were introduced individually on the ice by Adam Abrams, arena announcer for the Wild. National anthem singer James Bohn sang the Star Spangled Banner. And as Wild mascot Nordy got the crowd excited, Wild radio analyst Tom Reid bellowed his traditional "Let's play hockey!"
"It was very nerve-wracking in the beginning because I didn't really know what was going on still," said Ellen Wagner, Roseville goalie. "And the crowd was really loud and it was a little bit distracting but I held through."
Family members in the crowd added a jolt of energy to the game.
"It's an unbelievable experience especially for those girls. I watched their faces as they were skating around out there, smiles everywhere," said Jim Ligday, Kylie's grandfather.
"This could be the biggest game of their life and to have this experience is really cool," said Holly Wiltse. Her daughter plays for Roseville and scored a goal while she was being interviewed. She was supposed to be recording the game on her camcorder. "Coach is going to yell at me," she joked.
Parents admitted it seemed like the girls had an extra pep in their step. Having NHL coaches on the bench likely aided that.
Having a hall-of-fame coach on your bench always helps.
"It was super fun and (Stevens) was a defenseman and I am too so it was really cool," said Ligday.
"I'm honored. It's great," said Stevens.
Stillwater was undefeated entering the game and their skills showed. They took a 2-0 lead until Roseville made it 2-1. Stillwater added another goal and looked like they would cruise to victory until Roseville notched a goal in the third period with less than two minutes remaining. But in the end, the Ponies held on for a 3-2 win.
"We played as a team, we worked hard, and we got a lot of shots," said Ligday of their win.
Despite the loss, Wagner still had a smile on her face during the postgame news conference.
"It will always be a memory because it was such a big game. It was probably the biggest game of my life," she said.
Right before the game started, Ligday got arguably the biggest surprise of the night. Her uncle, Lt. Col. Josh Ligday stepped onto the ice as one of the two Guardians of the Game. Ligday had no idea her uncle would be there since he was scheduled to be overseas. She skated up toward him on the ice and greeted him with a hug.
"I was surprised that he came all the way this way," she said.
"The look on her face was priceless," her grandfather said. "I mean I had a couple tears."
Although this was the first time the Wild did the Youth Hockey Spotlight, it won't be the last. A pair of youth boys teams will get the same experience this season.
"It's our mission to find ways to create a greater State of Hockey and we hope we achieved that today," said Wayne Petersen, Wild Director of Marketing Partnerships.