BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Inside the Bloomington Ice Garden, a group is taking to the ice and breaking barriers, one shot at a time.
Apple Valley 6th grader, Brielle Clardy, is one of more than a dozen girls competing with MN Unbounded and the Hockey Niñas - an under 10 and under 12 all-girls hockey team made up of players of color.
Something Clardy says is comforting. “It’s not a lot of people who look like me that play hockey,” said Clardy.
Leading and mentoring the players is an experienced group of current, former, and professional hockey players - also women of color.
“I actually got in contact with a mom, Meredith Lang, who is from Bloomington and we both had dreams of putting something together like this and getting a bunch of girls together to play on a hockey team,” said coach Tina Kampa.
Kampa, a former Bemidji State University defenseman and Minnesota Whitecap defenseman, says the goal is to make the game of hockey more diverse and inclusive.
“I want them to be who they are, to not be afraid to be in the skin that they are in, and to just have fun, because hockey is a great sport and it should be a positive experience for everybody,” said Kampa.
“This upcoming season is going to be my sixth year playing hockey,” said 11-year-old Kaya Ygona.
For Ygona, it’s a chance to be around like other girls like herself who live and breathe the game of hockey. “When I was invited to play, I was excited because usually, when I play hockey with my team, there aren’t much girls that look like me,” said Ygona.
As the girls prepare for their last practice before their big tournament, they have advice for others who may want to follow in their footsteps.
“Just be yourself,” said Clardy. “Never give up,” said 9-year-old Sage Poitra.
MN Unbounded will compete at the Os Shootout Tournament from Aug. 12-15. For more information, visit the website here.
To donate to the team, visit their GoFundme here.