GIRLS’ VARSITY
HOCKEY:
The Need For a League of
Our Own.
The numbers
In the Winter season, the
Williamsville High Schools
offer 6 sports for boys, as
compared to 3 offerings for
girls. This number does not
include the JV and Modified
boys’ hockey teams, which
would increase this ratio to
13:8.
There are currently dozens
of high-school-age female
hockey players living within
the boundaries of the
Williamsville School District,
without the opportunity to
play high school hockey.
Local Leagues: Travel
The Great Lakes Girls’ Hockey
League plays in Tier-2 tournaments
across Western New York,
Pennsylvania, and Ohio. It includes
teams from Wheatfield, Buffalo
(Regals), Monroe County, and
Perinton.
There are only 3 local Tier-1
programs: the Rochester Edge, the
Buffalo Bisons, and the Amherst
Knights. The Knights do not have a
19U program, and so after they
become too old for 16U (the next
lowest age bracket), many Tier-1
girls have nowhere convenient to
play.
Local Leagues: House
The rapidly-growing
Amherst house program
for girls has become a
haven for developing
players of all ages; the
Developmental League
consists of girls ages
11-16, many of whom
are of high school age.
These girls attend
school in Williamsville,
Amherst, and Sweet
Home.
Local NCAA Women’s Hockey
The number and quality of local collegiate
women’s hockey is also growing exponentially
as more girls become involved in the sport.
However, in order to get noticed in this
increasingly competitive international arena, our
girls need somewhere notable to play.
Local Division 1 Teams:
Union
Cornell
RPI
Niagara
St. Lawrence
Mercyhurst
Clarkson
Syracuse
Colgate
Other local college teams:
DIVISION III:
Buffalo State
Cortland State
Elmira
Oswego State
Plattsburg State
SUNY Potsdam
RIT
Utica
Hamilton
UPSTATE NY GIRLS VARSITY
ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE (c. 2000)
Albany Academies (new for 08-09 season)
Canton
Chazy-Beekmantown (new for 08-09)
Ithaca
Lake Placid
Massena
Oswego
Potsdam
St. Lawrence Central (new for 08-09)
Salmon River
Saranac Lake
Skaneateles
Thousand Islands (new for 08-09)
PROPOSED WNY GIRLS VARSITY ICE
HOCKEY LEAGUE (c. December 2008)
Amherst
Catholic Schools (combined)
Clarence
Hilton
Kenmore-Tonawanda
Lancaster
Orchard Park
Sweet Home
West Seneca (East and West)
Williamsville (East, North, and South)
Nichols “B” Team
We are also planning on reaching out to other districts which have
recently joined the boys’ hockey Federation, such as Lockport,
Niagara Falls, Niagara Wheatfield and Depew.
WESTERN NY GIRLS
VARSITY HOCKEY
LEAGUE
Girls Hockey Teams in WNY
Amherst Youth Hamburg Hawks
Hockey Niagara Falls
Buffalo Regals PurpleEagles
Buffalo Bisons Coyotes
Wheatfield Blades Cazenovia Chiefs
Buffalo Hornets Nichols
West Seneca Wings Fredonia
Olean