WHAT WOMEN IN HOCKEY NIGHT MEANS
Jan 23, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans scored two wins on Saturday. Yes, the team iced a 7-3 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds in front of a raucous crowd of 6,709 at Blue Cross Arena, but perhaps the bigger win was the event surrounding the game.
Aptly named ‘Women in Hockey Night,’ Saturday served as a day to honor, acknowledge, and respect the women involved in the game of hockey, along with all their contributions to growing the sport. It has become an annual event for the Amerks and various teams across the sports landscape.
The Amerks took it a step further throughout Saturday’s game, from World U18 Gold Medalists Megan Healy and Bella Fanale (a Webster, New York native) dropping ceremonial pucks, to having Rachel Hopmayer and Rheanna DeCrow on the game’s broadcast. Women in Hockey Night is once a season, but that one night can have an ever-lasting impact on those who played a role.
“As a student, I’m always trying to absorb as much information, knowledge and experience as I can,” said DeCrow, a broadcast student at Ithaca College who served as rinkside reporter for Saturday’s game. “Women in Hockey night with the Amerks was an incredible way to do that. I felt blessed to be around a group of people who were so supportive of the path that I have decided to embark on. It was inspiring for me to look around the ladies in the front office, Rachel, and so many others that are excelling at what they do, and so fun to be a part of a thriving culture where all those around and involved are lifted and pushed to be the best they can be.”
Another talented female that joined the broadcast, albeit virtually via zoom during Saturday’s second period intermission report was Haley Winn. The 20-year-old is a Rochester native who played for Bishop Kearney Selects Academy and is currently playing for Clarkson University. She captured gold like Healy and Fanale, though Winn earned the honors in 2020.
“It’s super special,” said Winn. “It’s something for little girls to look up to and dream of. Just knowing that you can work hard and be a professional hockey player or be involved in sports in some type of way is super special. Seeing role models that look like them makes it all the more possible. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.”
Saturday was a night for being seen and heard. Several voices and faces acting as a collective one for a common goal.
“It’s all about visibility,” said Hopmayer, who served as the team’s color analyst and is currently in her second season covering the Buffalo Sabres for Spectrum News in Buffalo. “I hope nights like this show people that this is a place for you in hockey, working in any aspect of the game. I’m honored to have the chance to stand in a role that I used to look up to women who came before me in, and I know many more will come after me.”
While there were several on-air figures present to stand as pillars for women in sports, the Amerks have a behind-the-scenes cast that prominently features women in the team’s front office. Under the ownership of both Kim and Terry Pegula, over a dozen women are a part of the Amerks front office leading to the success and stability of the organization’s ability to operate.
“These nights are used to inspire girls to go after their dreams,” said Julie Mros, the director of game presentation for both the Amerks and Rochester Knighthawks. “Showcasing women working in all different departments in the sport industry gives young females representation they may not normally see in sports.”
“I think that Women in Hockey Night is important, not just for visibility, but for opportunity,” said Emily Wade, Rochester’s director of marketing and digital media for the Amerks and Knighthawks. “Women are not afforded the same opportunities as men, especially in hockey. Being able to use a night like Saturday is so crucial for creating those spaces. Intentionally searching for women looking for an opportunity – to do color commentary, to report rinkside, etc. — is something we should always be doing.”
“In a perfect world, our Women in Hockey Night will eventually be a celebration of all the wonderful women working within hockey and not the one night a year that we are giving women additional, amplified voices.”