Many of Wisconsin's finest female high school hockey players gathered on a busy Independence Day weekend at the Cornerstone Community Center in Ashwaubenon to take part in the inaugural Midwest Women's Collegiate Hockey Exposure Camp.

Forty-three players, including a dozen from out of state, took the ice for six hours of practice and six hours of scrimmage games this weekend in a camp led by five D3 coaches and Wisconsin coaching legend Dave Witting. The camp was directed by another Wisconsin hockey advocate, Mike Cowan.

In addition, seminars on fitness and D1 and D3 hockey were presented during the weekend. Dartmouth women's assistant coach Josh Liegl spoke on the topic of D1 hockey, while the coaching panel of Rob Morgan (St. Norbert), Jamie Kivi (Marian), Ann Ninnemann (UWSP), Steve DeBus (Hamline University), and Jim Ingman (Concordia-Wisconsin) talked for an hour about life as a potential D3 player.

"We were able to get an idea of them as a person and player through the number of on ice practice sessions along with the opportunity to coach them over four games as well as the seminars throughout the weekend," said Ninnemann.

The camp opened on Friday afternoon with a practice session, seminar, and small games that wrapped up at 9:30pm.

The six goalies awoke early Saturday morning for an 8:00am practice session, followed by separate 75 minute sessions for forwards and defensemen. After the D1 seminar and lunch, scrimmage games began.

A pair of hour-long games were contested Saturday afternoon, followed by two in the evening session. Black, Red, and White teams played round-robin games, while each goalie protected the nets for one period per game.

"I think it was beneficial to see the players in practice and game situations," said DeBus. "It is important for players to meet different coaches and gather information on the D1 and D3 level."

The White team emerged as the 'champion,' winning three of four games. Red split four games while Black went 1-3.

As Scott Anderson, the official who was working the games stated, "If people don't think these girls are skating hard, they should come out here and try to skate with them."

Anderson, a Michigan native, reffed all six games, making sure to chug plenty of Gatorade between periods during the warm, humid weekend.

The weather presented less-than-perfect ice conditions, but that did not stop the ladies from working hard, impressing the coaching staff.

"Our coaches were pleased with the talent," noted Cowan.

The camp gave the players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of coaches from three different D3 conferences (MIAC, NCHA, and WIAC).

"Currently, players that want this exposure need to travel great distances to get in front of college coaches," stated Ingman. "This camp is now a bridge for them and a way to get exposure without the extended travel and cost."