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Full Speed Ahead

By Harry Thompson, 01/23/25, 8:15AM EST

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NYSAHA’s Women’s Leadership Group Looks To Expand Opportunities Across The Board

Whether women’s hockey is having a moment or in the early stages of a movement, there’s no denying that the game is taking off. From expansion of collegiate teams to the historic launch of the PWHL to record crowds and television audiences tuning in any time the U.S. faces off against Canada, the action on the ice has never been hotter.

Those involved with girls’ and women’s programs around the state are doing their part to stoke that fire and take the game to the next level by creating a game plan to provide more opportunities for girls to reach their potential.

To help further those goals NYSAHA created the Female Leadership Group, a collection of passionate volunteers around the state who are looking to expand opportunities for females at every level to pursue their passions.

“There’s a real opportunity right now,” said Jodi Cullen, the Girls’ Camp Director for the state. “You look at all the statistics and the growth of girls’ hockey and where it’s going, especially with the PWHL, it’s a big deal. I just feel like it’s a great time to be in the sport. And it’s a great time to be part of a team that is committed to this.”

So far the group has created a mission statement and identified a set of core values designed to create opportunities in the game for all female participants in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.

Joining Cullen to lead the group is Joe Eppolito, who has been involved with spurring the growth of girls’ and women’s hockey at the local, state and national level for more than 30 years. A long-time representative for New York on numerous USA Hockey councils and committees, Eppolito is looking to use some of what has been created at the national level and bring it closer to home in New York.

“All of our efforts center around the growth and development of the girls’ game,” said Eppolito, who sits on both the Youth Council and Girls’/Women’s Council with USA Hockey. “A lot of our efforts are designed on growing the game and retaining the players that we have in our pool. That’s really our first measurable piece of the puzzle. If we look at our registration numbers and see that they remain the same or are getting bigger, then our efforts are working.”

More than just expanding the ranks of girls in the game, the group will also gauge how well they are faring at the national level in terms of attending player development camps and competing for USA Hockey National Championships.

“We’re developing girls and trying to grow the game in New York. How does that translate to how we compare to other programs across the country? Are our New York kids competing at a high level? Are we getting New York kids into national development camps? Those are very measurable things that we can check on from year to year,” Eppolito said. 

“Are more New York kids involved in national championships and are we winning national championships? Are more New York kids going to national development camps as individuals, not as teams? So that’s another measurable way to figure out if we have success.”

More than just players, the group is looking to provide more opportunities to succeed behind the bench and in the boardroom. To bolster educational and development efforts for female coaches, the group is looking to take a page from the USA Hockey playbook when it comes to creating a Women’s Leadership Symposium, similar to the one that was held last year in Utica in conjunction with the Women’s World Championship.

“There was a good representation from New York, because it was accessible for a lot of female coaches,” Cullen said. “We’re trying to work collaboratively with the national committee in an effort to offer a women’s leadership summit at the New York level. We feel like that will be very empowering and an effective way that would be specific to the growth and development of female coaches.”

The same holds true when it comes to creating more opportunities for women to serve in various administrative roles. NYSAHA is looking for ways to get more women involved with local associations as well as at the state level. 

“We’re trying to look at ways that we can measure the number of females that are empowered to take leadership roles, either from a coaching perspective or administratively,” Eppolito said.

While there are measurables that can judge how well the program is working to create more opportunities for all women to succeed in the game, Cullen said success will be a moving target that will change over time.

“As a female leadership team, there’s no box to check that will say, ‘OK, we’ve succeeded’ because I feel like it has to be ever fluid and moving. And once we check one box, there’s going to be a new initiative or strategy that we need to continue because obviously new challenges will come up,” she said.

“I think that the opportunity right now is open and endless, and as long as we continue to want to make a difference for the growth of the game for women, we’ve been successful.”