The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

A total of nine goals were logged in a pulse-pounding NCAA Frozen Four contest destined to go down in history as one of its most important matches ever. With the defending two-time national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers entering the contest with a 38-1-1 mark, the crowd at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Connecticut (site of the 2014 Frozen Four) could be forgiven if they believed the Gophers were the heavy favorites. Opposing the Golden Gophers was an ambitious Clarkson Golden Knights program that had reached several milestones. From winning its first-ever ECAC regular season title, the Golden Knights were also competing in their first-ever Frozen Four. Clarkson certainly entered the game with a significant boost of morale. The night before, the 2014 Patty Kazmaier Award was bestowed upon Jamie Lee Rattray, the all-time leading scorer in Golden Knights history. Having beaten Gophers skater Hannah Brandt for the honor, it was a foreshadowing of things to come. Aft...

After a difficult freshman season, Elaine Chuli has emerged as one of the comeback players of the year in Hockey East. Standing between the pipes for the Connecticut Huskies program, she is beginning to establish herself as an elite backstop. With the Huskies standing as one of the feel-good stories of the 2013-14 NCAA hockey season, Chuli, a native of Waterford, Ontario, capped off a remarkable month of January with Hockey East Co-Goaltender of the Month honors. Sharing the nod with Corinne Boyles of the Boston College Eagles, it is an award that celebrates how far the team has come in such a short period of time. Posting a won-loss mark of 3-7-0 during the month of January, there were positive signs for Chuli and her fellow Huskies. Considering the fact that no more than three goals were scored by an opposing team in any of those losses, it shows a much disciplined style of play on defense. Victories against Vermont, New Hampshire and Providence highlighted the month. Lo...

For a Minnesota Golden Gophers squad that has made its share of NCAA women’s hockey history, January 18 marked a new milestone for the proud program. Competing at TCF Bank Stadium, the Golden Gophers competed in their first home outdoor game. It was also the first NCAA Division I outdoor game ever held in the state of Minnesota. With an attendance of 6,623 fans, it was the largest attendance for a home game since November 2, 1997, the first game in program history (an 8-0 win against Augsburg). Of note, the Golden Gophers played in one other outdoor game, a January 29, 2011 contest on the road versus the Wisconsin Badgers. Attendance for that event was 10,668 fans, the highest attendance for a road game in program history. Playing against fellow WCHA rivals, the Minnesota-State Mankato Mavericks, the Hockey City Classic marked what fans hope can become an annual tradition. Improving their mark to 21-1-1 on the strength of three points by Sarah Davis, the Golden Gophers have...

The road that Cheyenne Matus followed on her way to university hockey is one that many have taken before her. Competing in boys’ hockey, the feelings of resentment add to an uneasiness that is all too often, a sad yet character-building rite of passage. While she competed in other sports, such as soccer and softball, the Friday Night Skate at the local armory had captivated her. Three years later, the experience of house league hockey and private lessons paid dividends as Matus became a budding star in the various Boys Leagues. Reality would rear its ugly head once Matus became of high school age. Despite the fact that her skills were such that she was invited to compete in the high school spring league (before her freshman year was to begin), she found herself unfairly isolated and ostracized because she was the only girl competing. Once summer became autumn and school bells filled the air, Matus had endured three difficult days of tryouts. Despite showing hard work and d...

With a record-setting 62 consecutive wins, the Minnesota Golden Gophers revolutionized NCAA women’s hockey. During the memorable run, players such as Rachel Bona, Megan Bozek, Rachel Davis, Amanda Kessel, Noora Raty, Jen Schoullis and Kelly Terry helped carve a legacy that may never be matched again. Just as all things must pass, so do must the memorable streak. Perhaps fittingly, the streak ended against a WCHA rival. The North Dakota Fighting Sioux, who met the Golden Gophers in the 2013 WCHA final and 2013 NCAA tournament, finally solved the maroon and gold in a match for the ages. Having logged three goals in the first period, the 3,150 stunned fans at Ridder Arena saw the Golden Gophers face a three-goal deficit. Kayla Gardner opened the scoring at the 6:12 mark against sophomore Amanda Leveille. Freshman Gracen Hirschy added to the lead at 10:34 while Finnish national team member Susanna Tapani scored the third goal on the power play. Just 1:50 into the second stanz...

With CWHL roster stripped of star players due to commitments for the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter Games, Northeastern Huskies stars Casey Pickett and Rachel Llanes may help fill that gap. Having each helped the Boston-based university club to consecutive Beanpot championships, their on-ice leadership and offensive skills place them among the top prospects in the 2013 CWHL Draft. Playing together on a line with All-America selection Kendall Coyne, the trio accounted for 51 percent of the Huskies goals during the 2012-13 season. Perhaps more impressive was the fact that all three reached the 100-point plateau. Of note, Pickett and Llanes would each finish their senior seasons with career highs in points. Casey Pickett , who describes herself as a playmaker, hard-working and committed, dons number 14 to signify her birthday (December 14). The 5’4” spitfire ranks among the Top15 scorers in Huskies history. Hailing from Wilmington, Massachusetts, her senior year was one to remember...

Life after NCAA women’s hockey can lead into various directions; competing with one’s national team, pro hockey in Europe or North America, coaching or simply walking away from the game. Regina native Kylie Rossler adapted an entirely different approach. After graduating from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania during spring 2011, Rossler was facing her own athletic crossroads. There was no spot for her on the Canadian national team, nor did Regina have its own women’s hockey club team. With a love of sport, Rossler enjoyed the camaraderie and the dynamic of helping a team win. In four NCAA women’s hockey seasons, she accumualted a lifetime mark of 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points . She would also claim two College Hockey America regular season and postseason titles. The final point of her career came in a January 8, 2011 contest against Syracuse where she logged an assist. Her last goal actually came in a March 19, 2010, postseason tilt with the Cornell Big Red as ...

In a season where the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to qualify for their first postseason since 2004 (in which they played the Philadelphia Flyers), Phil Kessel has emerged as the centre of attention. While the club looks for a pair of forwards that can complement his skills, perhaps their best option would be Phil’s sister, Amanda Kessel. During the 2012-13 NCAA season, Amanda Kessel has had a year to remember. She earned her 200th career point in only her 99th career contest. Playing with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, she helped the squad reach several milestones, including the longest unbeaten streak in NCAA women’s hockey history, and a 22-0-0 start. Of note, Kessel is also the NCAA’s leading scorer. Should the Gophers remain undefeated and win the NCAA Frozen Four, Kessel shall be a key component of that unprecedented success. Over a decade ago, Meghan Sittler, the daughter of Maple Leafs legend Darryl Sittler was a scoring phenom with the Colby College White Mules. Event...

Heading into a Halloween night contest between rivals Boston University and Boston College, it seemed unlikely that B.C. had a losing record. While BU boasted a 7-1 record, which featured Kerrin Sperry break the BU record for most wins by a goalteder, No. 8-ranked B.C. sported a disappointing 2-3-0 mark. Despite the home ice advantage, BU feel behind in the first period. Senior captain Blake Bolden assisted on a goal by Taylor Wasylk at the 4:47 mark. Heading into the second, BC continued to add to their lead. With Lexi Bender serving her second penalty of the game, Alex Carpenter scored a shorthanded goal at the 3:52 mark. Carpenter would continue by assisting on the third B.C. score of the night. Emily Field would bury the puck past Sperry at 8:15 for a 3-0 lead. Two minutes and twenty-eight seconds later, Carpenter logged her fourth score of the season with freshman Haley Skarupa earning the assist. After the 4-0 lead, B.C. made some mistakes and were penalized twice. Less ...

When the Pegula family proudly made their generous donation to create the Penn State ice hockey program, no one could have foreseen the scandal that would rock the university. As a new ice hockey program competing at the NCAA Division I level is hurled into the same throes as an expansion team in the National Hockey League, trying to escape the dark shadow of a tragic event only adds obstacles to the task of building a team. For the Penn State Nittany Lions, their beginnings are mired against the backdrop of a football coaching scandal that crippled the football program while giving the university a black eye. In the wake of these events, every program will be under intense scrutiny. In the case of Penn State, it can only hope that it does not endure the same beginning as its sister team in the CHA, the Robert Morris Colonials. In its inaugural season, the club had a dismal 1-7-0 start and head coach Kevin McGonagle was dismissed. Tragically, any athlete or team associated with th...

During the offseason, a low key event occurred that may have long term ramifications for USA Hockey. While Canada celebrated gold at the 2012 IIHF Women’s Worlds in Burlington, Vermont, the Minnesota Golden Gophers attended a Minnesota Twins game, Shannon Miller became a United States citizen. Having won five Frozen Four titles with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Miller is one of the most respected coaches in NCAA history. As a member of the Ethics Committee for US women's college hockey, and the NCAA Division 1 Championships Committee, Miller is as influential as she is accomplished. Using great acumen in her duties as head coach, Miller has helped open the doors to many. She hired legendary goaltender and one-time pop culture icon Manon Rheaume to be the Bulldogs goaltending coach. Before Caroline Ouellette and Julie Chu won the Clarkson Cup together for the Montreal Stars, the two served on her coaching staff for the 2007-08 Bulldogs Frozen Four title team. Quite possibly, ...

When the Boston Blades announced that they were hiring legendary NCAA coach Digit Murphy (formerly of Brown University), it sent a message throughout the realm of women’s hockey that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is ready to truly become the greatest women’s league in the world. The magnitude of such an announcement would be the equivalent of Mike Krzyzewski (the Duke University basketball coach) coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, or Bobby Bowden (the former Florida State football coach) joining the Dallas Cowboys. While the rivalry (and mutual respect) between the Boston Blades and the Montreal Stars is not as visceral as the Boston Bruins – Montreal Canadiens rivalry in the NHL, Murphy gives the Blades the opportunity to usurp the Stars grip on the Clarkson Cup sooner, rather than later. In a draft that saw the only US based franchise acquire Hilary Knight, one of the most talented players in the world, 2012 NCAA Frozen Four champions Anne Schleper and Jen Schoullis, plus the g...

A generation ago, the builders of women’s hockey, icons and figures like Fran Rider, Nancy Drolet, Samantha Holmes, Andria Hunter, and France St. Louis, toiled in obscurity while setting the table for future generations of women. Eventually, figures such as Cammi Granato, Angela James, and Justine Blainey would become household names, but their stories were ignored for too long. In modern women’s hockey, the aforementioned were the first silent heroes of the game. In the early years of the 21st Century, players like Hayley Wickenheiser and Angela Ruggiero are in the same realm as Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. Despite the quantum leap that women’s ice hockey has taken in the last 20 years, every generation still has its players that left a unique, indelible mark on the game. Said mark may not have been made on the ice, but their actions had a remarkable effect on many others. The silent heroes may walk down the street and go unnoticed. Their actions may have a tremendous role in...

In the nascent history of the CWHL Draft, a large source for its talent has emanated from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. One of the aspects of any sporting league’s amateur draft is the quality of talent that emerges from a handful of schools. The respectable percentage of talent produced at a specific school also becomes a key recruiting aspect. Many franchises in pro basketball have found their building blocks based on the superstars that were developed at Duke University and the University of North Carolina (notably Michael Jordan and James Worthy). While pro football has procured its talent from institutions such as Southern California, Notre Dame and Florida State. Mercyhurst has poised itself as one of the premier institutions of developing talent for the CWHL. While the 2010 CWHL Draft was more of a restructuring, three former Lakers were among the top 12 picks. Ashley Pendleton (who competed in the 2010 and 2012 Clarkson Cup finals) went eighth overall to Brampt...