Salisbury Stingers: It's not (just) about the hockey

LAKEVILLE — The locker room was abuzz as the women of the Salisbury Stingers geared up for their game against the Simsbury Mother Ducks on Friday, Dec. 10, at The Hotchkiss School.

The women’s ice hockey team was started as the result of a bet with a “hockey dad� who said, “No way will you ever start a women’s hockey team.� Ten years later, the team has grown to 38 players who range in age from 21 to 52, eight of whom have been on the team since it began.

At the beginning, the team was a small group of women, many of whom were hockey moms who found themselves constantly in the stands during their sons’ and husbands’ games. Others played in high school or college and were eager to get back on the ice.

The team began by scrimmaging each other, but then acquired a coach and found opponents in other local women’s teams. Many of the teams they play are from the Hartford area and are happy to come up to the Northwest Corner for a game. While these teams are not part of an official league, they manage to organize schedules for their season, which runs from November to early March.

The Stingers are serious about their game, but it’s not all about winning or losing for them.

“The most important thing is for us to get out and get some exercise,� said player Karin Noyes.

The Stingers have been through a lot over the past decade. Two of their players died from cancer and another lost a young child. The hockey team has been a source of support and comfort to its members. They’ve also become close friends.

“It’s not about the hockey,� said Stinger Beth Vernali. “It’s about friendship — being something besides wives and moms.�

The Salisbury Stingers is open to any woman who is interested in playing hockey. Women must join at the beginning of the season. Players chip in for rink fees, equipment and a referee.

“We’re not the best team,� said Vernali, “but we’re the nicest and most fun team around.�