Don’t Let ‘Em Fool Ya: These Women Serious

They casually cruise around the ice, some laughing, some dancing, some stretching. The game is only 15 minutes away and they are loose.

“All for fun, ladies,” Wendy Hanson calls out. “No pressure.”

Yeah, right.

After suffering 12 straight defeats to open the season, the Spokane Devils made 13 their lucky number when they scored a 5-4 triumph over Rouse’s Towing on Jan. 23.

“We’d like to win, but mainly we are just out there to have fun,” Brandi Van Horn graciously offered.

“It gives us something to look forward to every week,” Debbie Johnson said. “Usually people don’t like Mondays, but when you have something to do, they can be fun. It’s kind of like our night out.”

Don’t let their modest comments, pregame antics or pony tails fool you. The women of the Adult Men’s Recreation Hockey League mean business.

What began as only a dozen or so women skating for fun and exercise on Friday nights a year ago has turned into a 16-member (15 women and one man) women’s team that competes in the D League at Eagles Ice-ARena, designated for hockey newcomers.

The man is Steve Smith of Smith Dental, the sponsor. Included among the women is Olga Pasher, the most seasoned of veterans at the young age of 55.

“I am grandma and mom,” joked Pasher.

“Oh, she’s just a kid,” Sheri Rasmussen said. “All of us will be skating ‘til we’re 75. This is a lifetime sport.”

It’s 10:30 p.m. and the whistle blows. The teams gather at center ice for the faceoff. Their game faces are now on, almost.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Anissa Ehnes calls out with a giggle as the puck drops.

More smoke and mirrors.

“It’s not an easy commitment, moneywise or timewise,” Rasmussen said.

“But it’s worth it - every minute of it,” Johnson quickly added.

The Devils are no longer the lone women who think so. The Friday evening women’s league skating continues, attracting nearly 50 women between 6:45 and 7:45.

That’s easily double the turnout of a year ago, making it easy to see why all the women are so excited.