Area athletes among youth hockey team headed to 14U Nationals
KALKASKA ― The Kalkaska K-Stars, a local youth hockey team, recently won the 14U state championship and will be representing Michigan at the USA Girls’ Hockey National Championships in Irvine, California from March 30-April 3.
This is the second-straight national appearance for the K-Stars after finishing as the state runner-up last year, receiving an at-large bid to the national tournament in West Chester, Pennsylvania and advancing all the way to the quarterfinals. Eight of the current K-Stars made the trip last season, so the team is hoping the experience will help, according to head coach Jason Owens.
“It’ll be a battle, and the girls know that,” Owens said. “It’s going to be exciting and a lot of fun.”
The team entered the state tournament ranked No. 1, topping No. 2 Belle Tire, 4-1, and Livonia, 2-0. The K-Stars finished bracket play with an 11-2 win over the Detroit Bulldogs. In the quarterfinals, the K-Stars defeated Honeybaked, 5-1, then beat Kensington Valley 4-0 in the semifinals before taking home the state championship, defeating Saint Clair Shores 2-0 in the finals.
No other 14U girls’ teams in the state received an at-large bid, so the K-Stars will be the only girls’ team representing Michigan.
Local player Madison Peppin is the team’s goalie, completing her 18th shutout of the season in the championship while earning the team MVP puck for her play. Peppin has been stellar in net, helping her team to a 32-10-7 record and posting an impressive 1.24 goals against average for the season.
With players spread across 400 miles from Norway in the UP to Big Rapids, only eight of the fourteen players are able to attend practice together in Kalkaska, providing a unique challenge for the girls and coaches. The remaining girls skate with their local associations, eventually, all coming together for league play and tournaments. The team had a total of five practices as a full team throughout the whole season.
“As the girls started playing together, it was pretty clear we had a competitive team and all of them had it in their mind that they wanted to win a state championship. Every step of the way, these girls kept progressing and progressing and progressing, and building off their mistakes, and building off their strengths,” Owens said.
The K-Stars head to Nationals ranked No. 12 in the country.
“This experience is going to be unbelievable. We’re going to be competing against the top teams in the nation,” Owens said. “It’s going to come down to skill and hard work.”
If you would like to contribute to the girls, the team has a GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/f123eed3 and also is collecting donations through Venmo @Kaleena-Liedke. Checks can be also made out to KAHA, with a memo of 14U Nationals, and mailed to Kaleena Liedke at 711 Woodworth Ave. Alma, MI 48801.
2022-23 14U K-Stars
Marley Anderson, Rapid City
Maya Carlson, Manistique
Anna DeBidart, Norway
Gillian Evina, Elk Rapids
Piper Grabowski, Munising
Nicole Kerkela, Negaunee
Addyson Labadie, Sault Ste. Marie
Clara Liedke, Alma
Margaret Lux, Alma
Sara Outman, Cadillac
Lydia Owens, Cadillac
Madison Peppin, Lewiston
Olivia Stade, Marquette
Raquel Welch, Big Rapids
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Area athletes among youth hockey team headed to 14U Nationals