Gallatin Ice Girl Power From Hockey Player to Hockey Mom

WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE TARTAGLINO SELF

My story with ice rinks goes pretty deep. I started playing on an outdoor rink in Whitefish when I was maybe 4 or 5, because at that point my parents hadn’t built the ice rink in Kalispell quite yet. I should add a bit more context...

My mom was an airline stewardess and my dad was a general contractor when they met. The youngest of three kids, I was born in Providence and spent the first few years of my life in Rhode Island. Because my mom was originally from Colorado, she missed the mountains. My dad, who loves being out on the water, wanted to live somewhere he could take his boats. Mom suggested they check out Flathead Lake – the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. She must have spotted it as she was flying over.

It was when we moved to Kalispell that we all started playing ice hockey. Both my parents were college athletes. My mom played tennis and basketball, and dad played hockey, so he had me out on the rink when I was 3 years old. I was probably trying to keep up with my older brother and sister from day one.

I first joined a team when I was 4 or 5 and signed up for the Termite program. Then I just got pulled into the rhythm of it. We all did. My brother and sister both played hockey, so it became a huge part of my life. So huge, in fact, that my parents started the Flathead Valley Hockey Association, and built the outdoor ice rink in Kalispell.

In 2007, my parents got together with a friend and purchased a used portable, refrigerated ice rink system. They reached out to the City of Kalispell with an idea about making a rink available to the entire community, and the city partnered up with them and offered the site of an old pool. If it weren’t for that, I may not have had the opportunity to play competitively.

I played all through high school and was fortunate enough to play in three national tournaments. It was there, during my junior year of high school, that I got recruited to play college hockey in Baltimore, MD.

My college was a D3 school, but we were an independent team, which meant we got to play some really strong D1 teams in both Minnesota and New York. In fact, it was in Minnesota that I scored my first collegiate goal. I managed to deflect a shot, putting the puck into the back on the net. What a great memory. Shortly thereafter, I got injured. My college athletic career was short but memorable.

I moved to Bozeman shortly before graduating and started working for a bank. Things were going great and I was promoted quickly to branch manager, but I missed the ice. I had taken a few years off after my injury, but I missed the camaraderie, excitement and enthusiasm from my youth. I had coached a little in Baltimore, so once the call of the ice got loud enough, I answered.

I reached out to the Hockey Director at Gallatin Ice, Dave Weaver, and he invited me to start coaching the 19U girls’ team. I also signed up for an adult team and became a regular fixture at the rink. This turned out to be the best move I could have ever made, because that’s where I met my husband, Ryan.

In fairness, I should say we reconnected. The Montana Hockey community is small enough that it turns out Ryan and I grew up playing hockey against each other in middle and high School. It wasn’t until we reconnected that we realized how many times we must have shared the ice, and how far back we went.

In 2021, I joined the full-time staff at Gallatin Ice. One of my many highlights came when I got involved with our annual fundraising event, the Gloves Off Gala.

That year, our Guest Speaker was Cammi Granato, who is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I grew up watching Cammi play hockey and she is someone I looked up to. When she visited our rink, I was pregnant with my son Ryder, and Cammi was kind enough to sign her children’s book, I Can Play Too, which I still read to him.

It will be a few years before I can get Ryder out on the ice. He needs to learn to walk first, but I have no doubt that once he finds his way into a pair of skates, he’ll find his own passion for the rink and the sport. I have so many fun and amazing memories that all lead back to playing hockey, and I really hope to go through that again as a parent.

•Monday and Friday, 1-2:45 p.m.

•$10 for 17 & older

•$5 for ages 6 to 16

•Free for 6 and under

•$5 skate rentals (if needed)

Stephanie Tartaglino Self is the Director of Communications and Marketing for Gallatin Ice in Bozeman.