The Maine Principals’ Association will officially drop the puck on girls’ varsity ice hockey next fall.

The MPA membership voted unanimously to add girls’ ice hockey as a fully-sanctioned varsity sport next season. As of Friday’s vote, there were 11 teams, including Lewiston and St. Dom’s, that had petitioned and been approved to compete next year, but more could be added before the MPA’s hockey committee approves next year’s schedule in the spring.

“It’s been coming. They’ve been planning on it. It just took a process to get the 10 teams (that had to be approved),” said MPA assistant executive director Larry LaBrie.

According to the Maine Girls Ice Hockey Association (MGIHA), which currently governs all high school hockey teams in Maine, there are 30 high school teams in Maine. Those teams are broken up into two tiers to keep the games competitive. There will only be one class for teams in the MPA-sanctioned league next year, but more could be added in the future.

With MPA sanctioning, all Title IX rules apply. That could mean some logistical headaches for athletic administrators and rinks that already struggle with finding ice time for the 47 varsity boys teams and the JV and middle school programs that feed them talent.

“Numbers of games could be a problem. They may have trouble scheduling 20,” LaBrie said. “The boys may end up having to drop back to fewer games because of ice time.”

There are issues for schools considering making the leap to varsity girls hockey, including funding for equipment, uniforms and officials, as well as the availability of officials to work games. Many girls games are currently played on Sunday to ensure ice time and the availability of officials. The MPA does not allow games on Sundays.

“Those are definitely concerns,” said Lewiston athletic director Jason Fuller. “But in other states, they’ve found a way to make it work, so I don’t see us not being able to.”

Some schools, such as Lewiston, have already brought their varsity girls hockey program up to Title IX requirements.

“The decision doesn’t affect us at all,” Fuller said.

“I practice every day like the boys do. I have the game times and ice time that I need,” said Lewiston girls coach Ron Dumont. “It’s not the old ‘Well, the girls just get what’s left over.’ Based on the coaches that I talk to, not every school gets that treatment.”

This is the fifth year for the Lewiston girls hockey team. After spending last year in Tier II of the MGIHA league, they are moving to the top level of competition this season.

Girls ice hockey has been growing rapidly throughout the state. There were 11 teams just before the MGIHA was formed in 2001. Four more teams joined during its first year. Now, according to the MGIHA, there are 21 varsity and nine JV teams throughout the state.

“My understanding is that not all of the Tier I have necessarily been approved and/or want to move into the MPA, and not all of the Tier II,” Dumont said. “So you’re going to be bringing together a large disparity of levels between the two. I don’t know how they’re going to address that.”