If you think ice hockey is for boys only, these girls are out to prove you wrong. The self-started, self-funded Bourne-Mashpee-Wareham (BMW) Girls Ice Hockey team is the answer to the vacancy left by schools that do not offer girls hockey programs.

“We recognized this hole in the program for female athletes,” explained Annette St. Germaine, who helped start the team of students from all three towns for her three high-school-aged daughters who attend Wareham High.

Before the team formed, female ice hockey players who had outgrown their town's youth programs had few choices: play for the boys' teams or hang up their jerseys entirely.

After a year of planning, the team began its first season in November thanks to the efforts St. Germaine, fellow hockey mom Silene Gordon, Bourne High School principal Ron McCarthy, and a host of eager players ready to hit the ice again.

Under the direction of head coach Kristyn Alexander, the 14-member team worked to become unified during their first year.

“There was no issue, they meshed,” St. Germaine said. “They put [the Wareham-Bourne] rivalry aside and became a team.”

These girls are nothing if not committed to coming together. Due to limited resources, the girls are forced to coordinate times to travel to rinks across the South Coast, sometimes as far as New Bedford, just to get in a practice.

“These girls show so much character,” said Gordon, whose 7th grade daughter, Natalia, plays on the team. “They have a lot of courage to be the first.”

Courage that is visible in all of the players, including Ariel St. Germaine. The 13-year-old has been skating for four years and stepped up to the plate when the team was in need of a goalie.

“We have to help each other,” Ariel said about her decision. “I like that is a team effort. It gets everyone involved.”

The team includes girls from 7th grade to 12th grade, each with their own skill-level ranging from novice to seasoned. But no matter a player’s experience, the team’s philosophy is everyone gets to play. “It’s an opportunity to explore,” noted St. Germaine.

With their first season behind them, the group is optimistic about the coming year.

“We are so enthusiastic about next season,” Gordon exclaimed. “We met all our goals this season.”

St. Germaine said the team is on track to make the transition into a varsity high school team by their third season.

The league is sanctioned by the three school districts and is accredited by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), but relies solely on fundraising to support its costs.

The team is hosting its largest fundraiser of the year on March 19 at Gallo Ice Arena, where the Bruins Alumni team will take on the Gallo All-stars. Tickets are $10 and children under age 10 are free with a paying adult.

All of the proceeds will benefit BMW girls hockey. For more information on the event, contact the Friends of BMW Ice Hockey at 774-413-9126.