Olympic gold-medal winning goalie Shannon Szabados didn’t get a chance to suit up for the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week, but she will have the opportunity to play with the boys this season.
Szabados, who backstopped the Canadian women to gold in both Sochi and Vancouver, has agreed to sign with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League, the team announced Friday.
“I am very excited to get a world class athlete that has competed and has faced, high pressured situations,” Cottonmouths head coach Jerome Bechard said in a statement. “Shannon has won at every level she has played, in women’s hockey or men’s hockey. She won a championship with (the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) last year alongside (current Cottonmouths players) Andy Willigar and Jordan Draper so I know she can compete at this level. We are working on her immigration, and we are looking to sign her officially Thursday. … She will play when she feels comfortable and situated.”
Szabados, who practiced with the Oilers on Wednesday, will become the first female player in the 10-year history of the SPHL. She confirmed the signing in a tweet Friday afternoon.
[tweet https://twitter.com/ShannonSzabados/statuses/441982632230805505 align=’center’]
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Photo via Twitter/@PeteBlackburn
