When George King's Atoms hockey team head out onto the ice there are a few key differences between them and the other team.

They both really want to play hockey – but King's team is a flurry of neon pink and orange as the players skate around, and many of them have ponytails sticking out of the back of their helmets.

That's because King's team is made up of the three top Atoms boys in the Whitehorse Hockey League, and seven bright and excited girls who just wanted to play some hockey.

"I've coached hockey for 10 years, and I've never coached a team like this,” said King.

The girls and boys played their first game this past Saturday where they lost 8 to 4, but King says you wouldn't have known it from the scene in the locker room.

"When I walked into the locker room after the game I thought we'd won,” he said.

While the score wasn't in their favour the girls hit the ice and had a great time.

"Everybody had fun, I'll tell you that much,” King said.

For the game most of the girls battled it out as defence, doing their best to keep the puck away from goalie Matthew Blindhiem.

Their bright coloured laces flew up and down the ice as they chased the puck. They even put up a fight against the other team's boys, getting right in on scrambles for the puck.

"We did really, really well,” King said.

The crowd that watched agreed, cheering on both the girls and the boys.

King has been working on rounding out his roster since the middle of the summer when Whitehorse Avalanche girls hockey coach Louis Bouchard invited King's daughter to attend a practice.

It turned out there were a few extra girls with no team.

King was then given the top three boys in the Atoms league by the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association to add to the seven girls and his team was formed.

The boys helping out the girls this season are Trenten Hope, Mackenzie Wipp-Ben and Blindhiem.

Later in the season Matthew MacBride was added, a brother to one of the girls, to round out the bench.

"They're just thrilled to have the veteran experience from the three boys selected, one of which is a goalie,” said Marylynn Crane, convenor for the team.

The girls on the team are Mary MacBride, Jamie King, Ava Locke, Madison Dorion, Sophie Janke, Hannah Nordlund, Rory Sinclair-Eckert and Katlyn Hortes.

Assisting King on the coach's bench is Jeff Nordlund.

"The majority of the girls had been practicing together over the summer months and got off to a great start two weeks ago,” said Crane.

King says the boys are loving their new team.

"These three little boys really want to play with the girls,” he said. After Saturday's game King even had a few boys asking to join his team. "I have boys coming up who want to play with the girls.”

Throughout the season King's team will play other Atoms all-boys teams. His ultimate goal is to pick up a few more interested girls to be able to have

an all-girls Atoms team in Whitehorse.

"Any girls out there who wants to play hockey, I'd like to get a hold of them,” he said.

The girls are already forming a tight-knit group of friends that don't want to be anywhere else but on the ice together.

"I really want to keep these girls together,” said King.

While the coach of 10 years has never worked with a team quite like this, he says he's ready.

"I'm up for the challenge,” he said.

While the numbers weren't there for this season to have an all-girls group, Crane is sure the numbers will be there next season.

"It was unfortunate that we didn't receive enough interest in time in order to make an absolute all-girls team happen,” said Crane.

"I'm confident at this point the dedication from our players will see this prevail for years to come.”

The team will play again on Saturday morning.