PWHL x Strong Girls Round Up

It’s an incredible thing to watch women’s sports and rising leagues begin to cement their place in history. And it’s even more incredible to watch Strong Girls alums and FAM mentors as the ones doing it. 

This week, we got to do just that at the PWHL Finals. 

The SGU team made their way to Boston for game 5 of the PWHL Finals series to watch Minnesota take on the home team from Boston. In grand fashion, Minnesota shut out the home team and skated away with a 3-0 victory and the Walter Cup to show for it. And, who better to win it than a team that has not one, but TWO SGU alums in Clair DeGeorge and Liz Schepers (who scored the first goal of the final!). The former FAM mentors are both alums of The Ohio State University, where they were a part of a special arm of the FAM program.

These two champions are not the only two Strong Girls alums in the league though. In total, Strong Girls United has seven rock stars in the PWHL who have worked with or represented SGU through mentorship, partnership, or presence at events. These former mentors include Paetyn Levis (PWHL New York) and Emma Maltais (PWHL Toronto), also The Ohio State University FAM mentors. The Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey team members were matched with girls in the local Columbus community. You can read the ABC News feature while they attended a Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) game here. Additionally, Corinne Schroeder (PWHL New York) served as a FAM mentor in our very first year in 2020 while a student-athlete at Boston University.

We want to shout out the absolutely amazing PWHL Boston goalie Aerin Frankel, a Strong Girl through and through. Aerin has signed SGU posters for eager fangirls, and completed an absolutely amazing year finishing second in the PWHL’s inaugural season. Featured in the pictures below is Aerin with Clair DeGeorge (PWHL Minnesota) after an earlier game in the season, signing posters with Strong Girls. Congratulations, and thank you for all you do Aerin!

Our final special player and Strong Girls’ friend of the organization is none other than PWHL founding athlete and captain for Minnesota, Kendall Coyne Schofield. Kendall joined the Strong Girls Book Club to talk to girls about her book, As Fast As Her, and answer questions! Featured below is Kendall, holding the Walter Cup as the captain of the inaugural championship winning team. 

You can listen to a clip of Kendall's chat with our girls from 2023 here or clicking the image below.

At the PWHL Finals on Wednesday night, SGU was able to bring 40 local fans for the show. And none other than Billie Jean King was present. SGU team members Sophia Slovenski and Lani Silversides had a chance to say hi (and a fun photo below) to BJK and share some Strong Girls swag with her. 

We loved being a part of history so close to home and with so many Strong Girls members. As Billie Jean King recently said,

"I've waited my entire life for moments like this. Women's sports are now seen as an investment, not a charity."