Twin Cities Northern Lights
Encyclopedia
The Twin Cities Northern Lights is a Tier III Jr. A
ice hockey
team located in Bloomington, Minnesota
, a suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The Northern Lights Hockey team plays in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League
(MnJHL).
Mission: The Northern Lights Hockey team exists to help each player on our roster
Between August and April of each season, the Team plays a 48 game regular-season league games, in addition to showcase and post season tournament games.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has been managed by Ross and Stephanie Smith who joined the hockey business after she worked several years in hockey sports medicine, specializing in concussions.
After the South Suburban Steers were reorganized and renamed in 2002, the team has been based in Bloomington, Minnesota which is the southwest corner of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul metro area. They play their games at the Bloomington Ice Garden which was Team USA's practice rink in preparation for the 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice."
The Northern Lights have played international exhibition games against teams in Slovakia
, Czech Republic
, Italy
, Bulgaria
, and Canada
. The team and members of the Rotaract Club of the Athlete Village served as Goodwill Peace Ambassadors during the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
.
The Northern Lights were league champion in 2002-3 and national tournament semifinalists in both 2003 and 2006. The team also represented the Minnesota Junior Hockey League at the 2010 USA Hockey National Tournament.
Alumni from this organization have advanced to play higher levels of Junior hockey, NCAA and ACHA college hockey and professional hockey.
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team located in Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
, a suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The Northern Lights Hockey team plays in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League
Minnesota Junior Hockey League
The Minnesota Junior Hockey League is a USA Hockey Tier III sanctioned junior ice hockey league operated out of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota. The league currently has eight member teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin...
(MnJHL).
Mission: The Northern Lights Hockey team exists to help each player on our roster
- Reach their highest potential in hockey
- Prepare for college, the workplace and life
- Become a positive influence in the community.
Between August and April of each season, the Team plays a 48 game regular-season league games, in addition to showcase and post season tournament games.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has been managed by Ross and Stephanie Smith who joined the hockey business after she worked several years in hockey sports medicine, specializing in concussions.
After the South Suburban Steers were reorganized and renamed in 2002, the team has been based in Bloomington, Minnesota which is the southwest corner of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul metro area. They play their games at the Bloomington Ice Garden which was Team USA's practice rink in preparation for the 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice."
The Northern Lights have played international exhibition games against teams in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The team and members of the Rotaract Club of the Athlete Village served as Goodwill Peace Ambassadors during the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The Northern Lights were league champion in 2002-3 and national tournament semifinalists in both 2003 and 2006. The team also represented the Minnesota Junior Hockey League at the 2010 USA Hockey National Tournament.
Alumni from this organization have advanced to play higher levels of Junior hockey, NCAA and ACHA college hockey and professional hockey.