The Wraparound: mid September

The past two weeks brought a statement on racial injustice by the PWHPA, the start of the SDHL season, the official delay of the NCAA Division I season, and some really interesting  features. My personal favorite is Hockey in the Himalayas by Gillian Kemmerer; its the first link here for a reason!

If you only read a few things this week...

HOCKEY IN THE HIMALAYAS | The Caviar Diplomat
Three-thousand meters above sea level in the union territory of Ladakh, a women’s ice hockey club has found a degree of notoriety for its resilience in the face of extreme conditions. Dorjay Dolma, the daughter of a farming family in Ladakh, is the goalkeeper of this gravity-defying squad.

The crazy year of Eve Gascon | La Presse
Courted for months by NCAA teams, the young Quebec goalkeeper will join a women’s program for the first time.

From the Archives: The 1990 IIHF Women’s World Championship | The Ice Garden
Let’s turn back the clock three decades and dig into the first IIHF Women’s Worlds

SDHL

The SDHL started play this weekend and it was extremely exciting and fun. We’ll have more on the games in a new weekly column coming later this week. Some of these pieces are “previews” of the season but they’re still great introductions if you’re new to the league or just want to catch up on the season.

How to watch the SDHL 2020-21 season | The Ice Garden
Options for fans in and out of Sweden.

Investment in women’s hockey team in Örebro | SVT
Örebro Hockey Women’s - that will be the name of Örebro Hockey’s long - term investment in a women’s team. The goal is for there to be games in the highest league within five years.

SURVEY: This is how the SDHL clubs solve the audience question | Hockey Sweden
Today begins the SDHL season - in a special situation to say the least. Some clubs play in front of empty stands, some let in 50 selected people and some sell loose tickets as usual - but a maximum of 50 such. This is how the SDHL law acts in a crisis situation

Maria Rooth predicts SDHL: “They win gold” | SVT
Here is her expert guide before the start of the series in SDHL, the Swedish women’s hockey league.

Brynäs Erika Grahm: “We go for gold” | SVT
The goal is a given - Brynäs is chasing its first title in SDHL.

Wants to limit the number of foreign players in SDHL | Hockey Sverige
Last season, SDHL set a record in the number of foreign players in the league. Now Radiosporten’s expert, also former national team forward, Per Svartvadet, wants to see restrictions on the number of foreign players in the league.

NCAA

Start of D1 college hockey season officially delayed | The Ice Garden
The Hockey Commissioners Association officially pushed the season back.

As NCAA hockey season officially delayed, 2-week shutdown for Badgers men’s team called ‘the right thing to do’ | madison.com
Scroll for a bit to find the parts about the women’s team but it’s super interesting stuff

Pandemic puts Port Alberni hockey player’s career on hold at Harvard | Times Colonist
Every athlete who has had their dreams put on hold — which is pretty much all of them beneath the major-pro level — has a story to tell. Only a few of those tales, however, extend to a world top-10. . .

Video: St. Thomas women’s coach Tom Palikowski discusses the origins of his program, the move to Division I and more | Grand Forks Herald
Episode 44: The Rink Live video podcast for Aug. 31, 2020

Mireille Kingsley, Madisyn Papineau, American college hockey, COVID-19 | Sudbury Star
Mireille Kingsley and Madisyn Papineau joining U.S. college hockey teams this fall

Stonehill College delays new women’s hockey team to 2022-23 season | The Ice Garden
The newest NEWHA team will wait an extra season for inaugural team.

ZhHL

Towards the season: SKIF | Women’s Hockey League
On the eve of the new season, defenders Elena Provorova and Ekaterina Ananyina and forwards Ekaterina Smolina Alena Starovoitova answered questions.

Towards the season: “7.62” | Women’s Hockey League
Newcomer ZhHL Moscow Region team “7.62” enters the fight with the new season. Head coach Alexander Alexandrovich Syrtsov, as well as hockey players Polina Arkhipova, Anna Sviridova and Victoria Butorina, shared their expectations from the debut.

Krasnoyarsk “Biryusa” won bronze medals of the WHL Championship | Women’s Hockey League
The players of the Krasnoyarsk team received bronze medals, which Biryusa won in the 2019/2020 season.

NWHL

Q & A with Rookie Kayla Friesen | The Hockey Writers
Kayla Friesen on joining the NWHL/Whale: “Just the way they are growing the league, I thought it would be super cool to be a part of.”

Riveters return to rink | The Ice Garden
Small group of players are getting reps in together early.

All-Time Starting Lineup: Metropolitan Riveters | The Ice Garden
Who cracks the All-Riveters starting six?

Q&A with NWHL’s Connecticut Whale general manager Amy Scheer | The Ice Garden
We sat down with newly-instated general manager Amy Scheer to discuss her history in sports and her future with the Whale

Kaleigh Fratkin finding ways to better her game | The Ice Garden
The Canadian defender never stops.

PWHPA

Video: Women’s Hockey leaders Sarah Nurse & Liz Knox discuss the importance of BIPOC representation with Erica Ayala
The PWHPA was late to post a racial justice statement game but 2018 Olympic silver medalist Sarah Nurse and goaltender Liz Knox hope the long-term impact is greater for it.

Women’s hockey players’ association adds Sarah Nurse to board to fix ‘blind spot’ | ESPN

PWHPA publishes statement on racial injustice | The Ice Garden
On Wednesday afternoon, the PWHPA posted a statement to their social accounts condemning police brutality and outlining the organization’s next steps towards creating a more welcoming environment for players and staff of color

Misc.

Winningest women’s hockey coach in McGill history, Peter Smith, calls it a career | CTV News
Peter Smith has stepped down as head coach of the McGill University women’s hockey team, the school announced in a news release Wednesday.

Cecere appointed head coach of McGill women’s hockey team | McGill University Athletics
MONTREAL — Alyssa Cecere has been appointed interim head coach of the McGill University women’s hockey team. A fluently bilingual 32-year-old native of Brossard,

Zoe Hickel Begins New Chapter in Hockey Life as OSU Assistant | USA Hockey
Position with Buckeyes will be first foray into coaching for former national teamer

Hall of Famer Krissy Wendell Credits Multi-Sport Upbringing For Success on the Ice | USA Hockey
Experiences, including Little League World Series, helped take her to highest levels of hockey

Female athletes from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. pursuing their passion for sport on male teams |  | The Guardian
In places where team sports have a lack of female options, some girls are curbing the notion of single-sex teams by joining boys’ teams in the sports they love.