Fresh legs abound as four new directors have climbed over the boards at Stumptown Ice Den to manage the high demand for hockey in the Flathead Valley. Amanda Hayes, Brandon Cottrell, Aly Wells and Dominick Jordan got the nod and are working to accommodate the record number of skaters. 

The Glacier Hockey Association offers hockey leagues for youth from ages 6-14 along with other programs like a U8 mites mini camp and Girls Fall into Hockey. The Flathead Valley Hockey Association was formed in 2007 to provide programs for high school aged players and maintain the ice at Woodland Park in Kalispell. The Whitefish Adult Hockey Association organizes adult hockey opportunities. 

All three nonprofits operate mainly through the work of volunteers. This is the first time the Flathead Valley and Whitefish Adult associations have hired directors. Of the three hockey organizations, Glacier Hockey is the only one participating in the Great Fish Challenge, the yearly fundraiser for nonprofits run by the Whitefish Community Foundation that began Aug. 12. 

HAYES WAS BORN and raised in the Flathead Valley and became involved with hockey eight years ago when her son started playing and she started managing. 

She served as the interim director of the Glacier Hockey Association before accepting the executive director position. Before that, she worked alongside the director at the time, Ryan Ulvin, as the administrative coordinator. She said Ulvin was a great teacher and still serves as a mentor. 

While Cottrell and Jordan work mainly on the ice, helping players develop skills and mentoring with coaches, Hayes handles the business end: budgeting, day-to-day operations and cooperative programming. 

“We’re excited to offer hockey to all the kids in the valley,” she said. “We're partnering with FVHA on our 12U and older teams this year, which is pretty exciting, so that these kids have the best opportunity at hockey and solid development avenues.” 

A big part of the job is finding ways to handle the tremendous growth of the sport. 

“We really working hard at that together, looking at the growth in the valley and how much hockey is growing and projected to grow, because Glacier Hockey Association has grown 80% in the last three years,” she said. “With no additional ice time.” 

Hayes and the crew are hopeful about having a new rink come to the valley in the next few years. Currently, there are about 400 youth players in the valley involved in Glacier and Flathead Valley hockey associations. 

“We’re all super excited and it’s great to get to work together on a lot of things in collaboration and give our families and our members good opportunities,” Hayes said. “It definitely makes it better for the membership as a whole. Everything transitions a little bit better, information flows a little bit better, resources are more accessible.” 

The goal is for kids and adults to show up, have fun and enjoy the sport without hassles or communication struggles. 

JORDAN, THE NEW hockey director for Glacier Hockey Association, grew up in Virgina playing hockey and spent most of that time playing goalie. After playing hockey in college he continued to coach, so he brings experience to the job. 

“My role is managing coaches, helping to develop coaches and players and where we're looking at going on the ice,” Jordan said. “Basically, if it happens on the ice, that's where it falls in my category. If it's off the ice and kind of more organizational level, that's Amanda.”  

Glacier programs are geared to players from U6 to U13. The season starts September 30 and runs through mid-March or mid-April, depending on the team. 

“It's a lot of fun,” he said. “It's been great to be able to be a part of growing the game here in the valley. It's an entirely different hockey world where I came from. Right outside of D.C. -- hockey's huge there, and being able to come here, to a growing community, it's been really cool.” 

Jordan said he’s impressed with the adult hockey program in Whitefish, as well. In the D.C. area, he said adults were left on their own to figure it all out. 

“I've never seen an adult hockey community that develops players and grows the community like Whitefish Adult Hockey does,” he said. “There's a really great progression for adults to get into playing hockey and then the community beyond that -- throughout the whole league everyone's so close and good friends.” 

BRANDON IS THE Flathead Valley Hockey Association’s first hockey director and is also the Flathead Fusion varsity head coach. 

Cotrell is from Michigan and played three years of Junior A hockey in Canada, followed by two seasons with the Vail Yeti. He has been coaching in the Flathead Valley since he moved to the area five years ago. 

“I’m passionate about the sport and committed to giving back everything I’ve learned to the next generation of players,” he said. 

In the past, Flathead Valley and Glacier hockey have been operating at opposite ends of the valley but this year, they are joining forces to make the regional hockey system more user friendly. 

Flathead Valley and Glacier hockey associations are working more closely than ever, Cottrell said.  

“This year, we’ve established a Hockey Coordination Committee to help oversee the structure and planning for all teams 12U and older, including both high school boys’ and girls’ programs. 

“By working together, we can pool resources, expand player development opportunities, and raise the overall level of play across all skill levels,” he added. 

WELLS IS THE first executive director of the Whitefish Adult Hockey. 

Wells moved to Whitefish in 2020 and served on the association’s board from 2022-24. When the tremendous growth in adult hockey in the valley created a need for a director, she was prepared for the role.  

“I joined the hockey community as soon as I moved over here in 2020 just try to meet some new people, find friends, since I didn't know anybody over here,” Wells said. “And all of my friends came from Whitefish Adult Hockey, so I have just been incredibly blessed to be able to work and give back to the association that has given so much to me.  

“Hopefully, I can help other people have the same experience I had,” she added. 

Though she may have felt like a stranger to Whitefish at first, she was certainly not a stranger to the game of hockey. She got her first pair of skates before she turned 2 years old. 

“Hockey has been in my life for as long as I can remember,” she said. “My little brother started playing when he was 4, and I watched from the sidelines for a year before I decided I need to be out there, too, so I officially started playing when I was 7 and have been hooked ever since.” 

Twenty years later, Wells could not have imagined the growth that’s happened in women’s hockey.  

“The hockey community here, in its current state, is actually larger than the hockey community in the entire Spokane Metro area,” she said. "Which is crazy just to compare populations -- that hockey is bigger here.” 

Whitefish Adult Hockey will mark its 20th anniversary this fall. It offers A-F leagues, women’s A and B leagues, a summer co-rec league, and a rookie league, as well as several drop-ins each week and seven or eight tournaments each year. It currently has about 600 members. 

The association has a rookie program which makes it very easy to start playing hockey. From there, one could improve with skills and drills sessions, join F league and progress from there. 

Wells says the interest in hockey is continuing to grow like wildfire. This year, interest in the women’s league was so great, the association had to cap the number of players in the women’s league at 60. 

“Being able to add to something that others have poured so much time, sweat and passion into – it's definitely something I don't take lightly,” Wells said. “I’m pretty honored to be able to serve Whitefish Adult Hockey and help make sure it keeps growing in such a special way.” 

For more information about GHA, visit glacierhockey.org.

For Flathead Valley Hockey Association information, visit fusion.hockey.  

For information about the Whitefish Adult Hockey Association, visit whitefishhockey.org.

To donate to GHA in the Great Fish Challenge, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/great-fish.

    Brandon Cottrell working on skating skills with 10U-12U players. (Photo provided)
  

    Dom Jordan working with 14U goalies during a skills session in Whitefish. (Photo provided)