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Hockey on ice is a physical rules game which demands both head and heart. Today we can consider that also girls are "permitted" to play it. And with what results: Hockey is young again! Girls have brought with them such freshness and innocence to the rink that the hockey world can only rejoice over.
Although Finnish women have successfully played hockey from early seventies, girl's hockey is quite a new phenomenon here in Finland. Girls teams and clubs are products of the nineties. Hockey girls suffer a lack of publicity and therefore all kinds of resources. Even the Finnish hockey media has very seldom if at all printed or broadcasted features of girls playing hockey.
However the Canadians and hockey people from the United Sates are full aware of the high level and quality of Finnish girl players and many teams from North America have visited us in the past couple of years. The girls of East Helsinki Hockey have played against Portsmouth Abbey and Holderness from USA and Osgoode, Kemptville and Les Gauloises from Canada. These occasions were highlights of the season for many players.
So the mountain has come to us. It seems that the trend of North Americans traveling here is continuing and that's why we decided to organize a tournament for girls U19. We have something small and warm in mind with great hockey and cold ice. We have sent invitations to Canada and United States through sports travel agencies and via the internet. Great many contacts have been formed. We also hope that teams from Scandinavia and Europe can participate. All together there's going to be eight teams.
The tournament got its name from Northern Star which is the favorite of Finnish folklore. We are looking forward to a fine event and we are sure that we're going to witness a birth of lasting tradition.
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