Ravens First Seed in Little Caesars Playoffs

The Ravens, an all-girls hockey team playing out of the Kensington Valley Ice House in Brighton, ended their season Saturday against Livonia with a nail biter. 

Going into the Little Caesars semi-final playoffs, with a 5-0-2 record throughout the playoffs and as the top seed, the team was charged and ready to take the ice. They had battled as an organization and team from the beginning of the season and this game was no different.

During the third period the girls were down 2-0 and fought back to tie the game with 7:33 left to play. After two overtime periods and a shoot out, the team lost by one shoot out goal. 

“This is our team’s inaugural season against teams from other organizations that have been together for 15 or 20 years," said Coach Troy Hewitt. "For many of the girls it is the first time playing hockey and some have only been skating for a year now. We are very proud of them.”

For Coach Hewitt and the Ravens, the journey began a little over a year ago when the organization decided to start an all-girls league. The directors of the KVHA board worked together with the coaches putting in endless hours to campaign for this opportunity and to create a sense of consistency in the program. 

With his experience as an assistant coach on a girl’s team for three years in Ann Arbor, Hewitt brought ideas as to what girls are looking for in the sport of hockey.

“Playing hockey on an all-girls team gives the girls a great way to build camaraderie, build confidence and to have relationships that are long and lasting," Hewitt said.

When asked what the keys to his success this year with the team were he says, “Catering to the varying degrees of ability, individual attention to those who needed help and yet pushing the advanced ones. Our off-ice training and team building time with Off Ice Puckmasters was vital to helping with building our team. We also had the help of several coaches on our staff who could work with the girls individually.”

Girls on the team come from Flint, Howell, South Lyon, Walled Lake, Commerce, Westland, Milford, Fenton and Brighton.

“We were the underdogs at the beginning of the season and after we got our first tie we were so happy and it has been the best season ever," said Summer Lines of South Lyon. "Our whole locker room put their heart into it.”

Victoria Wozniak from Howell said, “I come from a long line of hockey players and so I wanted to play.  This is my first year skating and being on a hockey team. It is like a family.” 

Wozniak scored the second goal of the game, allowing her team another chance to win by going into overtime.

Haley Larkin, a left winger from South Lyon said, “It is fun because if we lose then we are there for each other. I have known Coach Hewitt for over four years now and this is the first time I have played for him. He will be my favorite forever.”

The organization currently has 8U and 10U house girl’s team along with two teams that travel for 10U and 12U. This past week a coach was approved for the 16U travel team, and Coach Hewitt will head coach the 14U travel team.

Hewitt said the Ravens coaching staff would like to thank the parents, coaches and directors for putting in so much of their time to campaign and make this program so consistent.

“We would like to have the absolute best program for girl’s hockey,” Hewitt said, adding that he hopes the girls will be able to look back on this inaugural year and realize they helped build a program for other girls to enjoy.

The 16U Ravens will hold tryouts 1:30-2:30 p.m. March 20 at Hartland Stadium; and 3:15-4:15 p.m. March 27 at Kensington Valley Ice House North in Brighton.

The 14U Ravens travel team will hold spring season open tryouts at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 28, and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31. Both skates will be at Kensington Valley Ice House South, $15 per skate.

Click here for more information on the tryouts.