Members of the Greenwich Panthers girls hockey teams are getting some special ice time with professional women players from the CT Whale.
“It’s one of those rare moments where kids in our community get to interact with professional athletes,” said Bobby Walker Jr., CEO of BGCG.
“It’s always fun to get out with younger girls and inspire them and show them that we are still playing at our age so they have something to work towards,” said Whale player Kelli Stack.
The Whale players taught the girls skills like stick handling and skating techniques.
“It was awesome to skate with them. They were all really good. It was nice to have someone to look up to who you can relate to,” said Panther player Ellie Gray.
2015 is the inaugural season of the National Women’s Hockey League in which the Whale play. Pro Kaleigh Fratkin says she began playing hockey with boys when she was younger and only had collegiate female players to look up to at the time.
“Now, these girls can aspire to play professional hockey and do it for a living and get paid,” said Whale player Kaleigh Fratkin.
The Panthers hockey team was started at the Boys and Girls Club back in 2011 and has grown to now have 10u, 12u, and 14u teams. The youngest girl out on the ice with the Whale was just 6 years old.
“You can start at 6 or 5 or 4, and skate all the way professionally and get paid for it, get recognized, and compete even after college. We are so happy to show our girls that this is a possibility,” said Girls Hockey Director Katy Gray.
Whale players say getting out on the ice with the Panthers brought back memories of playing youth hockey.
“It reminds us that we are out here to have fun. Even at our age we are still having fun,” said Stack.
And with this new professional women’s league in the United States, Whale players say the Panthers have a lot to look forward to.
“They had some really good players out there. If they keep it up, they can be right in our shoes some day,” said Stack.
Tryouts for the Panthers teams begin at the end of March. You can register and get more information at www.greenwichblues.com.
