PWHL Boston Helps Young Girls Reach For Their Hockey Dreams

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LOWELL — The PWHL is in the midst of its inaugural season and by putting the product out on the ice in six key markets, young girls across North America are seeing their dreams of playing the sport they love professionally grow with every game.

The Valley Jr. Warriors U12 team from Massachusetts attended the Boston and Ottawas PWHL franchises matchup at Tsongas Arena here last week, and the girls were not disappointed.

“I think it’s really cool, because every single boy who plays hockey has been able to look up to the NHL,” 11-year-old Kate Stevens told NESN.com. “Now that we have a chance to look up to the PWHL, it’s boosted our confidence, and we have something to look forward to.”

Stevens, a defender, said she likes watching Hilary Knight play, even though Minnesota’s captain Kendall Coyne Schofield is one of her favorites.

“(Kendall) was my idol. I had posters of her all over my room,” Stevens said. “I saw her play Hilary Knight in a game and I was like, ‘This is crazy. I love it. It’s awesome.’ “

Emma Nystrom, 11, plays right wing for the Warriors, but she used to play defense in previous seasons, so she had been focused on watching Boston defender Kaleigh Fratkin in the game.

“I like how aggressive she was, knocking players off the puck,” Nystrom said. “I kind of think more defensively (when I play). I love going for the puck and being aggressive.”

It wasn’t just the game’s speed that caught the girls’ attention. They saw both Boston and Ottawa playing with confidence — something as young players they want to emulate.

“I could tell they are confident with themselves,” Nystrom said. “I want to be more like that, because sometimes I’m not as confident. I feel like if I watch them more, then I can gain more confidence for myself.”

Teya Smyrnios noticed the female skaters were “almost as good” as NHL players and her teammate Ciara Svenson added the women are who she looks up to.

“I think it’s really cool how fast they can go and keep up with the intensity of it,” Svenson said. “It reminds me of what I want to be like and I really want to be them when I grow up. … I really want to be on that ice.”

Hockey mom Amy Schwartzkopf said she had always joked that she didn’t want to be a “girl mom” because she wanted her child to play hockey. She has a daughter, Ainsley, who plays goalie for the Warriors.

“My daughter started skating at 14 months and I always wished I had a boy,” she said, laughing. “I always thought, ‘Please don’t give me girls because I’m going to turn them into Tomboys.’ But, now they’re athletes.”

One of Schwartzkopf’s favorite things about hockey is the confidence and self-esteem it gives to young girls.

“My daughter decided to become a goalie at six years old because she knew it meant control and (her) coach would have no say,” Schwartzkopf said. “It was her house and she ran her house. And that was powerful and it drove her self-esteem.”

Hockey is one of the most expensive youth sports because of the cost of ice time and equipment, but Schwartzkopf said it’s all worth it now that the PWHL exists.

“It means that dreams can come true,” she said. “Now my daughter has this opportunity. Every dollar spent is a dollar toward her dream, and it’s worth it.”

Unfortunately for many hockey moms like Schwartzkopf, the dream of playing hockey as a young girl wasn’t available to her even recreationally.

“Girls really didn’t have a place to play hockey when I was growing up, so I played soccer,” she said. “The rink is my sanctuary and now, I get to watch my kid play in my sanctuary. What’s better than that?”