A week after a crash injured three players and killed two people, the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers 12 AAA won the Western Girls Hockey League finals in Colorado.
The crash happened on January 29. A snowplow crashed into a van carrying some of the players. The driver and one of the girls’ dads was killed, and three girls were injured.
Todd Stelnick, the head coach, told KNX News’ Jon Baird the girls met and decided to play in the tournament.
“They came to us and said, ‘All right, coach, we decided we are gonna play, but we're not playing to win the championship. We're playing for our team, our teammates, and we're playing for our teammate's family, and we're playing for our teammate's father that passed away in the car crash,’” he said.
Stelnick said the girls were thrilled when the girl who lost her dad came over to sit on the bench during the final game.
“They literally went from on the ice, hopping over the bench and cuddling her and holding her, and they were singing together,” he recalled. “The referee looks at me and says, ‘Hey, I understand what's going on here, but we gotta get going.’ I said, ‘I'll take my time out now.’”
A special ceremony will be held on Wednesday night at the Cube, the hockey rink in Santa Clarita, where the girls practice.
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