The Wild arrived in Denver on Halloween, and most of the girls took the opportunity to visit a local haunted house that evening. The hotel where the team stayed employs a former Blackhawks equipment manager. He worked for the NHL team when they won the Stanley Cup, and brought his ring in for the team to see. He made signs for the Wild, and provided Gatorade and candy bars with our logo.

The Wild 19 Rep team is made up of girls nearly all new to the association. This trip afforded them the chance to interact socially and build strong connections. They took that bond to the ice, winning their first game at the tournament Friday, afternoon, November 1, against the Lady Rough Riders, 2-1.

Saturday’s double-header brought challenges to the team. Adjusting to altitude and a time zone change made fatigue a formidable opponent. The Wild fell to Utah in the morning, 3-6. Saturday evening, a tough battle versus Colorado’s Select team left the Wild defeated, 2-7. However, they have the support of their coaches, Shawn Miller and Randy Antonio. Head Coach Miller expressed Saturday night, “I was proud of them tonight. They just keep getting better every game…nice work.”

The Wild played the last game time-slot Sunday afternoon versus Wyoming. Not for lack of effort, the Wild couldn’t get on the scoreboard, but they held their opponent to only 3 points.

At the tournament, officials indicated to Miller that they were impressed with the Wild, noting the young average age of the team. They commented on strong positioning, and pointed out that the Wild was the team to watch.

According to Miller, “The girls learned a ton this weekend, which will translate to our future games. It was a great trip, all-in-all, as we were able to learn from each game, grow, spend a lot of time together, and come together as a team.”