Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Attn: Mark Frost…
With the Winter Olympics around the corner, and the excitement surrounding the possibility of the US Women’s Hockey Team competing for another medal, I wanted to share with our community the amazing things that are happening right in our backyard that support our young female athletes’ aspirations to compete at the highest of levels, and greatly support our local economy.
While the Adirondack Youth Hockey Association (AYHA) has long been the bedrock of hockey in our region, the girls’ program has not necessarily received the fanfare for the contributions and accomplishments it most certainly is worthy of.
Over the long MLK holiday weekend, the 27th Northstars Winter Classic took place. Viewed as the premier girls’ youth hockey tournament in the north country, the event includes 92 games over 4 days, 47 teams, 10 divisions, and hundreds of players. Our local girls’ Northstars teams won gold in their respective divisions (8U, 12U, 14U, 19U) and medaled in others (10U).
Considering that teams from across New England and the Mid-Atlantic participated, these accomplishments should be celebrated and draw attention to the significant talent developing from our area.
The Northstars teams, tournament and community exist solely through the support of unwavering AYHA leadership who spend countless hours planning, coaching, and guiding our youth. Additionally, the “hockey family” and community contribute many volunteer hours to make this all happen, day after day, year after year.
The results speak for themselves, and with the possibility of forming a local joint-public school girls varsity team starting to take shape — the sky is the limit for these young ladies and those to follow.
Accomplishments aside, the tournament provides a significant jolt to our local economy during the depth of winter, with over 1,000 hotel room nights and countless stops at local restaurants from all the supporting families. This event provides contributions that are akin to many of the public-school tournaments or events held at the Cool Arena, and we should all be thankful for their commitment to our local businesses.
I’ve long been a believer that our community is at its best when we embrace who, where and what we are.
Girls’ hockey is a long-standing and growing foundational part of all those attributes and I encourage everyone to support AYHA’s efforts and join in — it’s never too late — and who knows we may see some of them in Milan in 2026!
— Mike Burke, Queensbury
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