I totally agree. The problem is, a group of parents yelled and screamed a few years ago that girls should have the same opportunity as boys. Playing at the X for the girls is dumb. The players can't hear their fans or band. Natalie Darwitz agrees. Put them at Ridder and pack the place. It will really have a state tournament atmosphere that the girls deserve. If interest grows down the road, they can move to a bigger venue.

I coached girls' hockey for 12 years and I don't know anyone who is a bigger supporter of the sport than me.

Yes, girls should be able to play in the same venue as the boys. The problem is, even in the state tournament (I went to a couple of games this year), when the crowd in total is in the hundreds, and there are nearly 18,000 empty seats, the players feel like they are in an empty building. They can't even hear their fans in that cavernous building.
They are playing at the X because parents raised the same points you did.
I saw a consolation game at Ridder this year, and though the crowd was in the hundreds, it felt crowded and exciting. That's the women Gophers' own arena -- it's beautiful and fits the size of he crowds that the Gophers draw, which, sadly, is about 2,500 per game.
I'm 100 percent behind the idea of girls playing in the bigger arena when the crowds increase. But if you ask participants at the state tournament the past couple of years (I have), a lot of the girls would tell you it was depressing to play at the X -- they felt like they were back in youth hockey, being watched by their moms and dads at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning -- in other words, with just a few people here and there.

Pat, you are right on about this.

Yes, Ridder Arena is state of the art. It would be perfect for the girls tourney.