While some students worry about how to manage their time around school, work or leisure, Allison Mitchell’s day doesn’t end until late into the night for an entirely different reason.

“I have to stay on top of my classwork during my free time at school or before practices,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes it can be a little stressful in all honesty, but it’s worth it.”

With seven years’ worth of experience and after playing co-ed hockey for Mansfield, Mitchell was scouted, tried out and now plays for the Dallas Stars Elite 19U (19 and under), an all-girls team.

“The team is a full-time commitment,” Mitchell said. “We travel across the country to compete against other girl teams, we hold national titles, and have coaches that have competed at high levels of hockey like Jenny Potter, who is a USA gold medalist.”

The team, sponsored by BioSteel, is an organization where girls from across the country come to participate in tournaments on behalf of Texas in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League and the SuperSeries League.

“I have fun during games and I love the team,” Mitchell said. “From here, I can play another year at the AAA level (the highest level) and then move on to college hockey.”

Unlike a co-ed team, a game consisting of all girls means the players can solely rely on their gear as a safety precaution.

“When we play male teams, the game is no contact since they are so much bigger than us,” Mitchell said. “But when we play other girl teams, it’s full contact.”

Full-contact sports allow for deliberate or incidental significant use of physical force within the rules of the game. 

“It was really exciting and nerve-wracking to watch her play,” junior Kate Ho, a close friend who attended one of Mitchell’s games, said. “I went for moral support, and I’m proud of how amazing she was.”

Like any other competitive sport, Hockey will have moments of loss and victory, and in Mitchell’s case, her favorite is after a goal.

“The whole bench gets hype and the energy is electric,” Mitchell said. “We celebrate and you can hear us from the other side of the building.”