U10

The night started with the Girls U10 team facing off against the Wilmette Braves. Earlier in the Illinois State Hockey Championships (formerly known as the Blackhawk Cup) round robin, the Stars and Braves skated to a scoreless tie. The team knew that goals would be tough to come by in this contest. The seal was finally broken when Gabriella Puccio-Johnson exited the penalty box, received a pass in stride from Ella Ridge and flew in alone and beat the Braves' netminder high glove-side to give the Stars a lead they would never relinquish. Coach Don Cichanski's team played great team defense the rest of the way, ultimately culminating in a 3-1 State Championship victory. Goaltender Lauren Abraham led the way, yielding only one goal over the entire tournament. This was a great ending for a team that held the distinction of being the first all-girls team to qualify and compete at the NIHL Silver level in the regular season.

U12

The U10 celebration set the stage for the next game of the night: the Girls U12 State Championship. The U12 Stars faced off against arguably their toughest rivals, the Firewagon of Crystal Lake. Firewagon jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first minute of play. The Stars quickly adjusted and a great chess match ensued. The back-and-forth battle led to a 1-1 score going into the third period. The Firewagon regained the lead late in the third period when their top player weaved her way through traffic, brilliantly finishing off with a dazzling goal. Things seemed bleak for the Stars at that point, but the Stars have been nothing short of resilient all season. Coach Nick Panos called a time out and refocused the team. With 1:25 left in regulation, goalie Rachel Lugo was lifted in favor of a sixth attacker. The Stars gained control in the Firewagon zone only to have the puck squirt out to center ice with 38 seconds to go. Stars defensemen Sarah Steadman and Hailey Tylka executed a perfect D-to-D regroup at center ice and fed Alex Thomas with a pass just short of the blue line. Alex gained the zone, deeked out two defenders and let a shot go just inside the right circle which found its way to the back of the net with 29 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. The back-and-forth play continued in OT, culminating in a spectacular one-timer by Kaylee Liberty to win the championship!