On Saturday, March 23rd, about 20 ladies got their warrior gear on to battle it out on the ice again, in a fun and competitive cross ice 3 on 3, at Skatetown-Roseville.

Four goalies (Marz Fific, Ryan Adams, Ryan Gilbert and Steve Avella) guarded the uprights jealously and not much escaped their purview or their leather catch gloves. 

We had two groups this time around. 3 teams of upper intermediate players, played an 8 game round robin.  One team of Gretchen Tournabene, Jessica Moore, Laura Johnston and Breanna Doyle (Francine Wan) had our goalies standing on their heads to keep the pucks out of the net. This group of ladies drove in from the Bay Area to come and play in our 3 on 3. It is that kind of devotion that makes this sport so fulfilling. Devyn Shattuck, Krystal Koss, Katie Bolles and Hitomi Brenner had smooth hands and watching them pass the puck was sheer joy. Krystal Koss dangled the pants off of anyone who came near her. Kristie Sager, Lisa Gallagher, Cora Lynn Alvar and Rita Sholl were the veterans who played tight defense that was tough to get by and had the positioning to outsmart the oppositions several times in each game. All in all, it was fun and extremely entertaining to watch from this writer's vantage point.

On the Novice side, we saw newcomers; Regina Brower, Brenna Krause and Olivia Demarco enjoy their experience with Pandora on this small area game for the first time. Diane Looker and Tracy Adams headed up their respective teams with pizzazz. Players from both teams were able to score multiple times, learn the 3 on 3 basics and show off some new and old tricks and dazzled their opponents with some accurate passing and well timed dekes! All the while, making some solid hockey connections both on and off the ice.

This has become a popular event for the ladies and we plan on doing this a bit more often. What we do need from you, the players, is your participation to make these a success every time. So keep a lookout for upcoming dates and locations, so you can also get in on the fun, if you missed out on this one.

We do want to extend a huge Thank You to our volunteers who help set up these events and to them and all the players who also lend a hand in getting the nets and black pads set up quickly, both on and off the ice. Thank you to Tim Sholl who helped with getting the waivers signed and keeping everyone laughing. Your assistance during the event is also extremely valued. Thank you to Rusty Krause who helped with getting the pads onto the ice and for helping put them back, off the ice. Enjoying a cold beer with you afterward is what I think makes life fun and very enjoyable.

Please enjoy some photos posted that Rita Sholl took the time to take while her team was taking a break between scheduled games. Memories will last a lifetime. View full gallery here.

Pandora Ladies are once again reaching out to everyone in the hockey community and are hoping that if you have some extra gear in your garage or hockey bag, you might drop your donation off at 5130 Rimwood Drive, Fair Oaks from now until August 17th.  All proceeds made from the sale will go back to the Pandora Women's group to help offset ice costs for the ladies.

A HUGE Thank you to all those who have donated to us in the past. It has been used to get some young ladies on the ice and it was used to help some women get on the ice for the first time. 

ALL hockey gear will gladly be accepted, as long as it is in reasonably clean and in usable condition.

Contact us www.pandorahockey.org or at pandorahockey@gmail.com if you have questions regarding the sale and are wanting to volunteer that day.

Gear Sale is on Sunday, August 20 11a-2p at Skatetown - more details on the flyer.