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Syd · 09-03-2019, 10:55 PM

Sydney Mahoney

TEAM USA WOMEN'S NATIONAL HOCKEY TEAM

MAY 18TH, SEASON 49

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When I was growing up in Wyoming, girls hockey wasn't something that got a whole lot of attention. As a whole, the state of Wyoming wasn't incredibly keen on anyone playing hockey, especially girls. For a state that has produced 0 NHL players all-time though, you would be surprised at the level of commitment the athletes gave who did dabble in the sport. Women's hockey was fierce and competitive, and on par with programs around the country, but didn't garner anywhere near the level of attention that many states received. It was never something that particularly struck me as odd or disillusioning, but rather a barrier that I would have to overcome on my way to the top.

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I started playing hockey right when all the boys did. My home town of Sheridan had a bustling community for boys hockey, and so I found my home on the local Squirts A team. We competed across the state against a handful of other teams and played a couple of games out of state, but the competition level never seemed up to par. I won't say I was a brilliant player from the get go, and with our kids starting their hockey careers so much later than in other states, there was a lot of development to be done in a short time. I did my best against those boys, and while they could out-muscle and out-skate me on the ice, I soon learned that I could win through smart and effective play. By the age of thirteen, I had adapted my play style to fit the game I would be forced to play my whole life, and that was quick paced with little time to think. I think the first time someone took note of it was after a game when I was maybe fourteen. An opposing coach came up to me after the game, gave me a high five and congratulated me for having the skill set to compete with the boys. Yes, it was slightly demeaning towards girls hockey in general, but all in all it was the first sincere comment I had received on my game, and it boosted my morale tremendously. I was visible in someone's eyes as more than just the girl who played with guys.

When I entered high school, I was lucky enough to attend a school where hockey was alive and well, accepted as much as any traditional school sport. Sheridan had a history of success and accomplishment, and it was something I wanted to be a part of more than anything. I tried out in my freshman year, but was too small and physically disappointing to have a real shot at making the roster. I was one of the first players cut from the team, but went home with my head held high. I had taken my shot, and I was going to continue to do it year after year. I spent the rest of the season playing local Midget hockey on the house league team, and with a number of the league's top tier players taken by the high school season, I had a real chance to shine. I opened up offensively and showed that I was more than just "good enough" to play with the boys, I was better. I racked up some solid point totals, and helped become a contributor on both sides of the game. People were starting to take notice, and I could see it. Following one of our games, my dad brought up a conversation he'd had in the stands prior to the game. I was one of three girls playing in that game, and a regional scout for the USNTDP was in attendance. He'd recognized my dad, and had opened up to him about the possibility of me entering the program and preparing for a career in hockey. I was baffled, to say the least.

We didn't take the offer right away though. My parents were hesitant to give away their money and ship me off to a school hundred of miles away to pursue a dream that many took and few survived. We agreed that I'd play another year at home in Wyoming, and grow my skill set before really looking more intently at the possibility of me entering the USNTDP. I made the high school team as a sophomore, but found myself shifting in a role that I had never played in my life, defense. The team's coach had seen my ability to read the play and make calculated decisions, and figured that despite my size I could make a solid defense man for his team, leading the attack from the back end. I was shocked, but was willing to work inside his parameters to find success. The second my skates hit the ice for the first game, I could feel a total shift in myself as I was launched into a whole new spectrum of the hockey world. Defense was the perfect fit for me, allowing me the space to move the puck around and placing me in the position to use the little bit of physicality I had to lay the body rather than fend off hits. I was living for the new position, and the position was working for me. It was the perfect balance.

Following my sophomore year, I was ready to take the next step in my hockey career. I was fifteen years old (nearly sixteen) and heading into my junior year of high school, and had begun to really find myself as a female player amidst the boys. I was ready to join the U18 Women's scene back home in Wyoming and was prepping for my season when we got our follow up call from our agent with the USNTDP. They wanted me to come out to the NTDP Evaluation Camp that March to show off my skill set and to give me a shot at cracking the U17 team for the upcoming season. The team was hot off a rough year competing in the USHL where they had finished with a dismal record, securing themselves second last place in the Eastern Conference ahead of only the rebuilding Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. If I joined the team, I was told I would likely be placed in a bottom six position in their defensive core, and that I shouldn't expect to see much of the limelight. It wasn't said to discern me, but rather to give me realistic expectations. The team was set in all regards, and had bountiful talent, but needed a few more members to shore up. I jumped at the opportunity, and found my way driving to Plymouth, Michigan alongside my dad, Cecil, and my brother, James. James was mostly tagging along for two reasons; Michigan girls (who he inexplicably found more attractive than Wyoming girls), and the chance to see some of the guys he idolized (he played local hockey back home in Sheridan).

When I stepped onto the ice at USA Hockey Arena, I could instantly tell that it was a whole different ball game. The players at this level were much different than those I had seen back home, with beards, broad shoulders, and elite levels of aggression. I wasn't going to be safe to take pucks slow in my own corner, and I was going to have to adapt to the much faster paced style of eastern hockey (most NDTP players originated from out in New York, Minnesota, or Michigan). I wasn't afraid to step up to the challenge though, and was ready to prove that I was not only going to contend for a spot, but dominate in the only way I knew how. The skate wasn't perfect by any regard, but it was the best I could ask for having played against the caliber of competition for the first time in my life. I went back home the next day, bruises littered across my body but with a boosted ego and a gleaming smile. My dream was coming true.

The tail end of my junior season was one of anticipation and doubt as I waited anxiously for the final roster announcement for the U17 squad. March went by in a blur as we played our final games of the regular season and took off into playoffs with no signs of looking back. April seemed to drag on forever as we took an early exit during playoffs and I found myself bouncing between the gym and checking my computer constantly. It seemed like they were teasing us as they would release little snippets of information to the media, drop a few names, and vanish for another week. Then the date was set, April 28th. I was sitting at my computer all day, waiting with a balloon in my heart to see if my name would appear on the list. It would be groundbreaking not only for myself and my family, but for Wyoming hockey in general. We needed someone to call our hometown hero, and I had realized that I might just be that person. And then it happened, I refreshed the page and there was a new article entitled "USNDTP announces final 30-man roster for S48". I clicked it, and scrolled through. To my dismay, my name didn't show up anywhere near the top of the defensive depth chart, but there I was as the sixth name on the list for defenseman. I'd made the team.

The first thing I did was call my high school coach to let him know the good new. He was ecstatic, and the next morning at school he made a special announcement over the intercom during morning announcements to officially congratulate me on my appointment. The public reaction wasn't immense, not a whole lot of people cared about the sport, and especially about girls who played it, but I had a huge feeling of success in my heart. I started hitting the ice every single day with special permission from the school administration and found myself practicing areas of my game that had seen little attention before, most specifically my shooting and puck control. I wanted to start the season with the team not just as a third pairing defender who would be reliable enough on defense, but as someone who could be expected to help produce offensively. I was named to Team Wyoming at the tail end of spring and spent my summer training with the team, playing in exhibition games across the Northwest before we met for the regional tournament. We were expecting some hard competition against a tough Colorado squad and a strong, physical Montana team. We opened up the tournament with a win over Idaho before clinching a hard game against Montana. We would finish the group stage in second place behind Colorado, who would ultimately defeat us in the tournament finals. I closed the tournament with a total of four points over six games.

October rolled around and it was time to begin my first season with the NDTP squad in the USHL. I had to physically prepare for the harder hitting and more fast paced style once again, and found myself hitting the gym and fixing my diet. I was just shy of 5'8" at the time, and was undersized even for a girl in the sport, especially as a defenseman. Our first few games during the season were difficult, and I had to fight for ice-time as there were some heavy hitting members up in the top four defensively. I average under ten minutes a game, but was able to put up a point here and there. I was nothing impressive stats wise, but for a girl playing with men, I was making my mark. I finished the season off strong, slotting into a flex position between our second and third defensive pairings, and would shuffle onto the power play for the odd game. I racked up a solid final points total of twenty points over the sixty game schedule, and was totally prepared for my second year with the team in the U18 category. Then disaster struck.

On a family road trip in the summer between my U17/U18 seasons directly after capping off another Team Wyoming tournament that had ended with us winning the regional title, a drunk driver collided with our vehicle approaching an intersection in Denver. We were on our way to visit family Fort Collins when the driver failed to yield on a side street in the outskirts of the city and smashed into the side of our vehicle, sending it careening down the road and into a nearby tree. The car folded in on itself, trapping both my dad's and brother's legs in the front site beneath the dash and breaking my ribs on impact. I was devastated and confused, and thought it might be the end of my career in hockey. I felt the crushing blow of that collision in many more ways than just physical.

I was placed on injury reserve by both Team Wyoming and the USNDTP U18 team, and had to spend the rest of my summer watching my team mates with Team Wyoming get slaughtered by stronger and faster eastern teams in the national tournament. It was heartbreaking, and my recovery wouldn't come fast enough. The crash had caused internal damage beneath my ribs and had nearly punctured a long, causing immense bruising to my upper chest. The initial diagnosis had pegged me as being back in early September, but after a late check-up the date was moved into October. I was going to miss the start of the season for the USHL.

The season rolled around, and while I was cleared the team wasn't ready to risk my safety despite my pleas to hit the ice. I felt ready, but it wasn't my time yet. I got my first start around the half way point of the season, taking a short minutes on the third pairing as the team tried to pace me back onto the ice. I didn't have the same fluidity with my skating, and I was soon shifted off the starting roster. I was crushed, and it felt like everything I had worked for was being quickly torn away from me. While I hadn't been officially cut form the USNDTP roster, the coaching staff left me know that I likely wouldn't start again for the remainder of the season, but that I should continue to practice with the team until they were forced to shorten the roster moving into playoffs. I kept with it, training myself during practices and would clock two more games played, finishing the season with two points in ten games played. We lost out in the first round of playoffs, and I never got an opportunity to play.

From there, it seemed like everything was over until a representative from Team USA contacted me about joining the U19 Women's Team for the World Junior Championship in Omsk, Russia only two short months away. I hadn't made their training camp due to still practicing with the USNDTP team, but since being cut from the roster I had officially become eligible to play for their team and they were more than happy to have the chance to grab me. I accepted instantly, and flew out to New York to meet with the team. We trained hard, and I slotted into the top defensive pairing straight away. As World Juniors drew ever closer, all I could think about was how happy I was to even be alive, let alone about to represent my country at an international level.

The flight to Russia was the longest I've ever waited for something. Delays, cancellations, and storms caused the flights to be pushed around and made the whole trip into an ordeal, but we landed in Omsk and promptly hit the rink for our two on-ice sessions given to us by the IIHF. We played our first game against Denmark, easily dispatching them. Then came Russia, a harder competition but a win nonetheless. Our group stage closed out with Sweden who nearly stole the perfect record from us, but we managed to clinch the victory to bring us straight into the medal round. There we met a rough Finnish team that gave us a run for our money, and with an overtime scare managed to slip past them into the gold medal game against Canada. Undefeated up until this point, it was looking like smoothing sailing heading towards a gold, but we had one last roadblock in the way. Canada.

You may not be surprised to hear that we lost that game. Our girls were no match for what the Canadians brought, and they showed us what it felt like to be defeated in a crushing game where we realistically stood no chance. The final stroke had been made, and I was done hockey for the year. Nothing ever hurt more than holding that silver medal. I had overcome so much to get to that point, growing up in a state where hockey had no real home, fighting through the challenges of being a girl playing with men, and finally the crash which had caused not only physical but also psychological effects on my game play. There would have been nothing better than to hand a loss to the smug Canada roster and walk home a champion, but alas, that wasn't what history wrote for us.

You may feel sorry for me, but I don't. I've had the opportunity to live a life of chance and hope, breaking boundaries and paving a way for little girls who have dreams like me to accomplish amazing things back home in Wyoming. Since my loss at the international stage I've taken on a role as an assistant coach for my old high school back home in Sheridan and in the U18 sector of women's hockey where I nearly qualify as a player. I've been able to spread my influence in the sport and teach other girls what it means to be a valuable member of the community that is hockey in Wyoming, and how they too can realize their dreams. While the NHL may never be an option for me following my unceremonious dump from the USNDTP, there are many other options out there for women in the sport. Most importantly, I have the SMJHL and SHL, where women of great skill have tread and not only played, but found immense success over the years. So while you feel sorry for me, I feel nothing but gratitude, for everything I've been given.

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Sydney Mahoney
TEAM USA WOMEN'S NATIONAL HOCKEY TEAM

*slothfacekilla* · 09-03-2019, 11:03 PM

I loved this Cheers

charlieconway · 09-03-2019, 11:31 PM

When it comes to hockey, we are indeed smug. Go Canada

!

This is a great article. Welcome to the site, hope you stick around.

ml002 · 09-04-2019, 12:58 AM

Incredibly well written looking forward to more!

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
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*Carpy48* · 09-04-2019, 02:37 AM

Can only agree with what's been said before. Really great article, would like to read more.

C9Van · 09-04-2019, 05:42 AM

Nice read! I dig players with back stories.

MP7 · 09-04-2019, 09:52 AM

nice write up

Jiggly_333 · 09-04-2019, 12:49 PM

I fucking love this.

Player Page||Update Page

Jamie T Wrote:But I wish I'd been a little more exceptional
And I wish I'd been a little unconventional
But I was not enough, no, I'm not enough

Noble · 09-04-2019, 12:56 PM

Incredible way to introduce yourself, I've got my eyes on you Wink

TnlAstatine · 09-04-2019, 12:57 PM

09-04-2019, 12:56 PMNoble Wrote: Incredible way to introduce yourself, I've got my eyes on you

Noble · 09-04-2019, 12:59 PM

09-04-2019, 12:57 PMTnlAstatine Wrote:
09-04-2019, 12:56 PMNoble Wrote: Incredible way to introduce yourself, I've got my eyes on you

I love you too <3

TnlAstatine · 09-04-2019, 12:59 PM

09-04-2019, 12:59 PMNoble Wrote: I love you too <3

SLL 2.0 when

Noble · 09-04-2019, 01:02 PM

09-04-2019, 12:59 PMTnlAstatine Wrote:
09-04-2019, 12:59 PMNoble Wrote: I love you too <3

SLL 2.0 when

Maybe when I can find people to help Tongue

Me and @Jepox have been looking into it though, I'd love to revive the interest in the sport. Move to CP18, pretty up a new forum, get some infrastructure laid down. Could happen.

***SpartanGibbles*** · 09-04-2019, 03:49 PM

Great article and Team Usa

.... yes please

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