Women’s Hockey Growing

While we eat and sleep hockey it’s great to reflect back to when we started playing officiating and/or coaching.

The game has changed over the years and I for one can remember when girls simply didn’t play the game, cause it was a boy’s only sport.

As the week long ceremony wraps up in a tribute for both Henrik and Daniel who have been not only great players, but huge supporters for the community giving rather than just taking.

The week came to an official end in the afternoon contest that saw the Canucks (32-21-5) host Anaheim (23-27-7) both based in the Pacific Division.

So now that we go from the “girl’s don’t play” moment in time to watching exciting Women’s hockey as recently witnessed in Vancouver in front of over 8,4000 fans.

The game continues to grow, having more young girls getting involved playing the game at a young age, with many staying involved even after they get married and have families of their own.

The game in Vancouver saw various minor female teams cheering for Team Canada with many holding various signs in hopes of some day making it to this level of the game.

While the game was entertaining it could be mentioned that this year was the most well-attended game in U.S. history given the fact that it was attended by 13,320 excited fans.

Reflecting back the previous record was 10,158 that featured the same two National teams dating back to 2002 in Detroit, only to be outdone by the O/T 4-3 win by the US also taking the series by a 4-1 margin.

Megan Bozek collected a PP marker 42 seconds into OT that provided a dramatic finish by the US in a heated contest.

U.S. team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield told the media “Together, we’re breaking barriers, we’re setting records and I think it was worth the price of admission tonight and it was an excellent hockey game and it’s always nice to come out on top.”

Team USA had Alex Cavallini between the pipes and made 17 of 20 saves and out-lasted Canada’s Genevié Lacasse, who stopped 26 of the 30 shots she faced.

“The Anaheim Ducks proved you can host a women’s hockey game and you can sell it,” Coyne Schofield said.

The OT saw the US take advantage of the PP (4-on 3) getting a shot through traffic that bounced near the goal line that saw a narrow miss of a US goal. 

The U.S. ended regulation on a power play and generated a solid chance before the final horn.

At the nine minute mark in the third Lamoureux-Morando got the equalizer, sending the crowd wild which was reminiscent of her game-tying marker in the 2018 Olympic Gold Medal Game,

Coyne Schofield told the media “We let that momentum shift in the second period take our energy out of us, but we bounced back in the third period and we played USA hockey,” 

Both Canada and the US National teams have been striving to establish a firm, fair professional league in North America. 

Despite an overall gain in player participation it seems to have been an uphill battle to establish hockey supremacy in the Women’s game there seems to be no movement for a pro women’s league.