Defender Elle Anderson and forward Cori Fairbanks spent their childhood competing with the boys — and handling the ensuing fallout — while goalie Lisa Nibbe's turn in gender isolation occurred more recently when she joined the National Guard; she had to request off from drill this weekend for the state tournament and leaves for basic training in June.

They have survived the unusual experiences and are now engaged in a friendly — if biting — banter with their classmates and former teammates; Red Wing's boys hockey team received the No. 4 seed and will begin postseason play Thursday seeking its first state appearance since 2002.

The Winger girls won two section games to reach state, while the boys must win three to do likewise.

"There is jealousy, you can tell," Fairbanks said. "Since we're girls, they think it's easier" to get to state.

Added Nibbe: "Well, (they) wouldn't know since (they've) never been there."

Those comments represent an extension of a decade-long debate about where girls belong in Red Wing's hockey scene.

Anderson and Fairbanks began skating with the boys when they were around 4 years old, following in the footsteps of current Princeton player Rose Alleva, the program's all-time leading scorer. At the time, hockey wasn't offered to girls until U12. Both had older brothers introduce them to the sport; Anderson was actually a frequent practice attendee when her brother's Red Wing team won the Class A state title in 1997, watching from atop the net when she tired.

The duo transitioned back to the girls program for U12, but were unimpressed with the talent level of other girls their age — a group that included Nibbe, who took up the sport in fifth grade. They both returned to the boys' system the next year, which prompted some controversy and numerous board meetings on the matter.

Red Wing girls assistant coach Dan Anderson, Elle's father, was a board member at the time. He said that Alleva's success created the impression that quality female players needed to play with the boys, but that tone soon changed.

"It started with Elle and Cori and then moved on to Paige and Reagan (Haley)," said coach Anderson, referring to Red Wing head coach Scott Haley's two talented daughters. "There was some discussion there because the girls were doing as well or better than the boys."

The Red Wing trio all came together on varsity as eighth-graders; Anderson and Fairbanks saw the ice immediately, while Nibbe became the starter as a freshman. Success has followed, culminating in the most wins in program history — 19, and counting — during their senior season.

They've become the unofficial ambassadors for girls hockey in Red Wing, as the youth hockey board now discourages gender crossover after the girls program expanded to accommodate increased interest and participation.

"Our youth program was so little," said Fairbanks, who has successfully returned from a neck injury suffered in 2009 that doctors initially feared could leave her paralyzed. "Now there's U12, U10 and U8s. It's come so far."

In addition to the frequent trips to the state, Red Wing's varsity players have also attended youth hockey practices in hopes of building on the tradition they've helped create. It's a plan that has paid almost immediate dividends, as nine of the 17 players on the varsity roster are freshmen or younger — most of whom have benefited from the expanded youth program.

"We're queens to them because we always go help at their practices," said Elle Anderson, a blue-liner who has posted a career-best 10 goals and 15 assists for the high-scoring Wingers.

Though all three seniors have been recruited by college coaches, only Anderson expects to continue playing after this weekend. That's created a renewed sense of urgency for a team that returned nearly everyone from last season's consolation championship team — even if it took a 9-3 loss in the 2011-12 opener to powerhouse South St. Paul to refocus the Wingers.

"I feel like we know what we have to do," Fairbanks said.