Duluth Girls Hockey Association celebrates 30 year anniversary

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Duluth Girls Hockey Association.

The organization oversees Duluth High School women's teams and all the teams in the city league known as the Icebreakers.

The Icebreakers have multiple teams for different age groups ranging from 8U up to 15U.

Ashley Hirt the vice president of the DGHA is also a hockey mom.

Hirt said that she loves being a part of the hockey community and that it is a place for her kids.

"My daughter saw a poster for a team and wanted to sign up and I said, you know what, I have played every other sport under the sun, hockey can be your thing where she can learn and grow and have her own identity," said Hirt.

Her daughter, Ileini Hirt, has been playing hockey since she was just 6 years old.

"It just means so much to me," said Ileini. "There's a lot of ups and downs, especially as a girl of color. It's so freeing."

Over her 10 years of playing, Ileini has only played hockey in Duluth for three, but those three years have helped her through many tough times.

"I want to spread awareness and spread more information about my story and sports and mental health and teens in high school as well," said Ileini.

She said the first two years in Duluth were hard but getting back on the ice with a team was what she needed to keep going.

Ileini hopes not only to be an advocate for mental health on the ice but wants to be a role model for younger girls looking to play hockey.

"Being able to be an older figure that younger girls can look up to and knowing they are not the only ones alone that would be my dream when I was younger," said Ileini. "Getting to be that for younger girls now is just so cool."