When Christian athletic trainer Stephanie Smith and her husband Ross were given operating control over the secular junior hockey team that she had worked for since 1993, no one could have expeted the positive outcome on and off the ice. Now 14 months later, with League Championship trophies in hand and an increasing influence in the hockey community , it appears that skeptics who wondered if God and junior hockey could co-exist finally have their answer.

The Minnesota Junior Hockey League, in which the Northern Lights team plays, is the next step for many 16-20 year olds who have not yet earned a spot on a college team roster. Ross Smith, who now serves as the team general manager said, "This is the natural step for those who need some attitional training, experience, and maturity to be successful at the next level."

With a 32-10 inaugural season record, a sweep of playoffs, and a fifth place finish at the USA Hockey National Silver Cup Tournament last April, the Northern Lights has proven that it is a viable, competitive team.

Most fans are now learning that the motivation behind the organization stems from a desire to share God's love while helping players develop.

Stephanie Smith's expertise in hockey sports medicine has made her privy to many ministry opportunities. "I was struck by how many players and families have gone through times of tragedy and intense spritual seeking who did not have a church connection, a Christian friend, or a minister that they could go to with questions," Smith said. "With a busy sports schedule, many young players choose participating in traveling sports rather than attending church; and by the time they reach junior hockey, most of them are aware that God has a different standard and plan for their life but they don't know how to get back on track. Many do not believe that God could still love them because they can't do enough good to balance out the bad they've done. This opens the door to share with those who are seeking: God is full of grace and forgiveness and Jesus provides the way back."

In May 2002, the Smiths moved the South Suburban Steers from Wakota Arena in South St. Paul to the Bloomington Ice Garden and began a complete overhaul of the nonprofit youth organization, starting with the name.

"The aurora borealis (northern lights) is caused when small, seemingly insignificant particles from the sun reach the earth and begin to glow so brightly in the darkness that you can see them moving. What a perfect picture of what we wanted this team to be," said Ross Smith.

Throughout that first summer, the Smiths appointed an all Christian coaching staff and board of directors who began creating a Biblically-based code of conduct, rewriting players contracts, and implementing a notebook full of ideas. Without an organizational model to follow, the board basically created one from scratch, which was met with a lot of curiosity and even some defensiveness.

Ross Smith continued, "On the surface some of our decisions looked like financial suicide, but there is no place safer than in God's hand! We trust that if we are doing the right things, (God will honor our efforts) and people who believe in what we are doing will come out to support the team."

Soon many questions began to surface from hockey colleagues and well-meaning Christian friends who wondered if they were making too many changes too quickly and how these two diverse worlds would get along. In a sport where professional player examples of faith are rare and some fear the Christianity might actually make players too soft to be effective, positive and negative notes started accumulating.

Dan Ston's son Mike is a returning goaltender for the 2003 Northern Lights; and he said, "Every year is different. But when the Smiths took over, there was a lot of speculation about the whole church thing...that(the players) would be weak, a bunch of patsies. Plus, whenever you change management, you never know how things will turn out. But they've shown they are strong competitors and the rules are just keeping the guys honest."

Ross Smith said as he hurried off to practice, "We are excited to see what God has in store for us as an organization this seaon and how He will change lives through the influence of one hockey team."

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