I am writing in response to Kalle Oakes’ comment in his Jan. 5 column about local youth hockey. He forgot that a Lewiston or Auburn varsity ice hockey team has been in the state finals at least 22 times in the last 25 years. That includes seven in the last eight years.

I would have waited until a local team was not represented in the state finals for a couple of years in a row before making a statement about seeing other teams in the finals on an annual basis.

The players and the volunteers of our local youth hockey programs are working hard. It is no secret that the other communities are catching up, but the Twin Cities are not falling behind. There are more rinks around the state than ever. It is more difficult to put a number on a local banner than it used to be.

The local players deserve more credit than Oakes gave them.

Tim Smith, Lewiston