Parker Tofte rifled a perfect outlet pass to Kyler Garsjo. As the puck found his stick, Garsjo raced up the ice and around the Watford City Oilers' defense.
Garsjo, one of the most dangerous scorers in the North Dakota Amateur Hockey Association (NDAHA) during the 2017-18 season, did what he always did — scored. Garsjo's tally, the go-ahead goal with 17 seconds remaining in regulation, completed a three-goal, third-period comeback for the Richland Rangers in the 2018 NDAHA semifinals as they defeated Watford City 7-6.
What relevance does a boys' youth hockey game which happened eight years ago and more than 800 miles away have to Iowa?
Garsjo's goal served as the most electrifying and memorable high school sports moment I witnessed until Western Dubuque's Quentin Nauman clocked a sub-4:00 1600-meter race at state track two weeks ago.
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As a senior on the 2017-18 Richland Rangers squad, that goal solidified my decision to pursue a career in sports journalism.
Reflecting on the opportunity to play hockey growing up also led me to pursue a project that will release this week.
Growing up in a small town in eastern Montana, I went to both boys' and girls' hockey games to support my aunt and uncle. Kallie, my aunt, eventually helped teach me how to skate. I even wore her hand-me-down jersey during my middle school years.
My mom ran point on ferrying my brother and I to hockey practice each night and, for the most part, did not miss a moment of either of our hockey-playing escapades.
Girls high school hockey came to my home town in 1993. A natural, and light-hearted, rivalry formed between the boys' and girls' teams as the ladies won state title after state title in the early 2010s. The boys? Well, we did not quite have that resume, but we always strove to match that standard.
Women were an important part of my amateur hockey career and thus an important part of why I ended up in journalism and in Iowa.
When I began my sports writing career at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in February 2022, I eagerly jumped at the chance to cover the Waterloo Warriors, who won the Midwest High School Hockey League (MHSHL) regular season title that year.
However, once the hockey season came to a close, a thought popped into my head: Why hadn't we covered the girls' hockey team?
I immediately set about researching how Waterloo's girls' hockey season fared. I soon found out Waterloo did not have a girls' hockey team. Neither did many of the Iowa-based teams which competed in the MHSHL.
Further research revealed only three girls' hockey teams existed for high school-aged individuals in the entire state — Quad City Lady Blues, Des Moines Lady Wild and Sioux Center Storm.
Girls possess numerous athletic opportunities. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) hosts state tournaments in 11 different sports and four different seasons.
However, not every athlete is not made to thrive in every sport.
Standing an inch or two shy of six feet, I made for the world's smallest tight end on the gridiron and never proved to be much of a threat on the basketball court. But, as a hockey player, I fit right in.
Just as I found my niche in hockey, girls who call Iowa home deserve the same opportunity to play hockey in their home state and compete for a state title in their home state just like the "Iowa Girl" of IGHSAU fame.
Over the next week, as the hockey world turns its attention to a rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals, I hope you also turn your attention to Puck Pioneers, a three-part series about girls' and women's hockey in the state of Iowa.
The first two parts of the series published last week, with part three running today.
Puck Pioneers tells the story of Iowan's leading the charge to grow girls' hockey in the Hawkeye state and those setting the example for the next generation.
Girls' hockey is on the rise, but, to quote Mason City Youth Hockey Association (MCYHA) outgoing president Jennifer Pearce, we can't let up.
I owe much of who I am to my participation in hockey. And, women played a significant role in my ability to take advantage of that opportunity.
The Iowa Girl should get the same chance.
Ethan Petrik is a University of Iowa beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at ethan.petrik@wcfcourier.com.
