The Mounds View-Irondale girls hockey team had a rocky start to their season, starting off with a five-game losing streak. Some may attribute this struggle to the recent merge of teams that took place last year. 

Originally, the Mounds View and Irondale teams played separately, but because of a lack of players, both teams merged. Last season, the historically intense rivals found themselves working together as one team.

Many of the players started playing together during youth teams. “We combined at youth, like at younger teams,” said junior Paige Friedman. The youth teams look beyond the schools and encourage teamwork and unity. They bring kids together to create a fun and enjoyable first experience with hockey. Because most of the Mounds View players remembered playing with the Irondale players, it brought back old memories, but it also took some time for them to adjust to this permanent change. “It was a little strange to get used to combining teams, but now it seems normal. We played with a lot of the Irondale girls in youth hockey, so it was good to see and play with them again,” said senior Gabrielle Bullert. 

Before consolidating, Irondale and Mounds View girls hockey had a fierce rivalry, and the Mounds View girls took every game against Irondale very seriously. “It’s really competitive when we play them. I was told by an older girl that they lost to Irondale one time and they cried because of the loss,” said Friedman.

As the teams merged, players faced new teammates, uniforms and emotions. Going from intense rivalry to unified members left some players tense and confused. But as the season progressed, the girls slowly embraced their new team. “When we first combined, we all realized that there was no reason to keep the rivalry because we were one team,” said Bullert. 

Bullert and Friedman, however, do agree on the fact that after the merge, the fun of having their own uniform, mascot, and team spirit was lost. “When we [first] combined, we didn’t decide on a team name or mascot. I wish that we made one so we could feel like more of a team,” said Bullert. Nonetheless, the players have adapted to and accepted their Christmas-colored uniforms and combined team.

Combining the two teams brought many fixed feelings at first, but as the season progresses, it’s apparent the girls are learning to adapt and are enjoying playing with their new team.