Iowa's first girls' hockey team hosts a tournament

The first girls' hockey team in Iowa is hosting the first girls' hockey tournament in Iowa.

The St. Luke's Lady RoughRider Classic is a five-team round-robin Saturday and Sunday at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena with two clubs from the Chicago area, one from Kenosha, Wis., and another from Springfield/Peoria, Ill.

“We've gone from nothing to hosting our own tournament,” said Lady RoughRider Clara Gilbert of Cedar Rapids.

“It's a big honor,” added Lady RoughRider Haley Schmelzer of Cedar Rapids. “Everybody gets to host us, and now we get to host them.”

The Lady RoughRiders were formed last year with the help of the ice arena's youth hockey director Kevin Brooks, a former RoughRiders player, to become the first Iowa girls' team to register with USA Hockey. They've had to travel out of state for games, which makes this tournament significant.

“For the girls, they have never really been given a chance to play at home, so it's a big deal,” Brooks said.

The Lady RoughRiders have joined the Midwest Girls Hockey League this year and have an 8-2 record competing in the Varsity West 19-Under division against clubs from Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.

“Pretty much since we are a member of the Midwest Girls Hockey League, we spoke to teams in our league about this tournament,” Brooks said. “We are trying to get the bid for our league playoffs next year. That's our big goal right now. We think if we put on a good show this weekend, that will help us get that bid.”