Minnesota State men’s hockey fumble highlights larger issue — Carly Jackson talks the start of the season, being lettered — Must-click women’s hockey links
The IX: Hockey Friday with Anne Tokarski, November 5, 2021
Good morning everyone! My name is Anne Tokarski. Before we get to Minnesota State, a little bit about me: I’m a twenty year old full-time student studying Communication at the University of Illinois via THE Ohio State University, so while my current school does not have a D-I women’s hockey program, rest assured that I am well-versed in the ins and outs of the NCAA women’s college hockey scene. In fact, I’m a bit of a homer for Ohio State women’s hockey.
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I have two years of experience writing about women’s hockey for SB Nation’s The Ice Garden, and I also work for a junior men’s hockey team in the USPHL, so hockey is pretty much my life (outside of school, of course). I’m thrilled to be bringing you this week’s Hockey Friday, and can’t wait to share with you all of the news from this week in women’s puck.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Minnesota State men’s hockey’s Twitter fumble highlights larger issues at play
On October 30, Minnesota State men’s hockey goaltender Dryden McKay blanked Northern Michigan to earn his 27th career shutout, an NCAA record…or so Minnesota State Men’s Hockey’s Twitter account declared.
With all due respect to McKay and his accomplishment, 27 shutouts is not the NCAA hockey record. It’s the NCAA men’s hockey record. The actual NCAA hockey record is held by Wisconsin alum and Canadian women’s national team goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, who tallied 55 shutouts over the course of her four year tenure with the Badgers. Desbiens holds both the overall NCAA hockey record and the NCAA women’s hockey record.
This might seem like semantics, nit-picking, or a general waste of time to point out. It might even seem like we’re trying to minimize McKay’s accomplishment.
None of that is the case.
Nicole Haase, writer with the USCHO and The Victory Press, articulates it perfectly:
The problem with attributing the overall NCAA record to McKay isn’t just that it’s factually incorrect (Desbiens’ 55 is mathematically more than McKay’s 27), but also that this attribution makes women’s hockey the secondary sport when it shouldn’t be. Men’s hockey is not the default category for any sort of record, least of all a record in an association such as the NCAA that governs both men’s and women’s sports.
It’s a refrain we often have to repeat: women’s hockey and women’s sports should not be not an afterthought.
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This week in women’s hockey
Team Canada to participate in Capital Cup alongside Hockey Canada U-17 men’s teams (Sports Illustrated)
Team USA to play two-game series against NAHL’s New Mexico Ice Wolves (KOB 4)
Kelsey Koelzer makes debut as first Black head coach in NCAA hockey (NHL.com)
Boston Pride GM Danielle Larouco juggles many responsibilities on top of managing the defending Isobel Cup champions (The Patriot Ledger)
Women’s hockey community pushes for expanded tournament field (SB Nation College Hockey)
The Ice Garden previews the PHF season (The Ice Garden)
Book Review: Jashvina Shah and Evan F. Moore’s Game Misconduct (The Victory Press)
Five at the IX: Carly Jackson talks the PHF season, wearing a letter for the first time
Question: The seventh season of the PHF (formerly the NWHL) is just around the corner, and it’ll be your first full, non-COVID season. What are you most looking forward to about returning to the ice this season?
Jackson: One of the things I’m most excited for is bringing fans in to experience our culture. Of course, we’ll still have protocols and rules, especially with COVID. But to be able to show fans what we’re about and to be able to kind of share that with the city more than we were able to last year…it’s just honestly one of the most exciting parts of being a pro hockey player.
Question: Which road trip and which opponent are you most excited for?
Jackson: I would say road trip…probably Boston. I have some family there and a lot of friends in the area, especially [having gone] to Maine. So I’m excited to go into their barn and hopefully stir some things up. And then I think I’m really looking forward to playing Minnesota because I never got a chance to play them last year. My friend Audra Richards…now Audra Morrison…I’m really excited to see her. We were at Maine together my freshman year, so I’m excited to see how she’s developed and definitely throw some chirps at her.
Question: The Beauts have been practicing for several weeks now, and have even played a couple of exhibition games. What’s one thing you’ve noticed being one of the team’s strengths during practice and in actual games, as compared to last season?
Jackson: I would say chemistry. Like our chemistry, I think is definitely translating onto the ice, job and you can just see people only getting along and always like telling jokes and laughing and just the chemistry is really awesome. And it’s fun and fun to watch, especially in practices.. As a goalie, obviously, we want less goals, but some of the goals my teammates are scoring…it’s just unbelievable.
Question: You were in the net for the team’s exhibition win over Brown. Walk me through what it felt like to be back on the ice in a game situation after so many months away?
Jackson: Oh, it was so much fun. I just remember in the first period, being on the ice and they were doing building renovations or something, but just sitting there on the ice again and I just like looked around and I was thinking, “I’m so happy to be here right now.” Just so happy to be playing. It was just electric, and sharing that with my team, with so many good people that love the game, love each other, like, it’s awesome. Yeah, I was so happy to be back.
Question: This is the first season of your career in which you’re wearing a letter as an alternate captain. What does this honor mean to you?
Jackson: So yeah, this is my first time ever wearing a letter in hockey which is…which is pretty neat. Very, very, very happy about it. But honestly, the thing that means the most to me is the fact that it was voted upon by my teammates… so that honestly, the fact that they see me as a leader, it was just the biggest blessing. So it’s pretty cool that I get to wear an ‘A’ as a goalie but again, it just…it just solidifies my love for this team and my thankfulness and gratefulness.
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