Unless you’ve been living under a rock, this year a milestone event took place at TD Garden in Boston : aka The House That Bergy Built. For the first time in it’s 45 year history, the Women’s Beanpot Final was going to be played at an NHL rink. It was truly, history in the making.
A record crowd for women’s hockey in New England was on hand (10,633 keep the change) to witness the Northeastern Huskies prevail over the Boston University Terriers in OT with the local kid, Skylar Irving, netting the GW goal. The Mayor of Kingston had both cookies that day to lead NU over BU 2-1 in the final. The early (consolation) game went to a shootout with Harvard outlasting Boston College.
As great as the games were (and let me tell you they were awesome), what stood out to me were other factors. The environment, the attitudes, the enthusiasm and the excitement around the women’s game was palpable throughout the entire arena that day. Here at The Morning Skate we were honored to play a small part in helping to get the attendance numbers where they were and spread the word about this night. I was amazingly granted a press credential and was able to witness history (those are all my pics sprinkled through this post).
But you know what? It didn’t happen on its own. It wasn’t a fluke of happenstance that got all of those people onto Causeway Street that night. It was hard work by a lot of good people pulling in the same direction. I got to know some of them along the way and I’m truly honored to call them friends.
- Kelly Dyer Hayes: Northeastern Hockey alum. NU Hall of Fame (2x), Beanpot Hall of Fame, 3rd woman to play men’s professional hockey, USA Hockey, Olympic Staff, she’s done it all in and around the game of hockey. You can find her podcast episode here. But the highest honor Kelly has ever received? She’s been on the TMS podcast 3x. Yup, it’s a goalie hat trick!
- Mary Azzarto Ciampa: Northeastern alum. A self described serial entrepreneur, Mary has been creating her own spaces for over 30 years! The board of Boston Museum of Science and her advisory role at Berklee College of Music haven’t slowed her down in her quest to lift all women up. The founder of WomenX: women educating women in order to disrupt pre-existing paradigms, challenge the status quo and push each other to think critically.
- Linda Lundrigan: Northeastern Hockey alum. Beanpot Hall of Fame. 5 year player for the Huskies and another 10 years behind the bench. Played both ice hockey and field hockey for the Huskies (not a big deal) and has won the Beanpot both as a player and a coach! Linda built the women’s program at UMass Boston and was a fixture at USA Hockey Camps and worked with the select teams on the international stage.
So I had these three beauticians on before the Beanpot and we talked about what they were trying to accomplish and our wishes for that all. You can find that episode right here:
Then, after it was all over, they came back! I’m a firm believer in the theory is that the worst someone will say is “NO” so it was a no-brainer to ask them back on. The wrap up episode is available here as a video and on any platform where you find your podcasts.
So please give it a listen and please please please support women’s hockey and the Northeastern women’s program. Take your kids to a game at Historic Matthews Arena, go to a PWHL game wherever you live, watch them play on TV, (I mean this is true for all women’s sports but I’m hockey focused), these are the best women hockey players on the planet and they deserve everything they are getting and a whole lot more.
With these 3 on the job, there will come a day when the Women’s Beanpot sells out the TD Garden and it’s truly, not a big deal.
If you’re around Matthews this Saturday, we’ll be doing a live podcast before the Maine game and then going live on our social media platforms afterwards for post game analysis (that’s a stretch) and some special guests. And Ked is making his first trip to Historic Matthews Arena!
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Twitter: @abrow28
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The Morning Skate 