Ruggiero Leads Girls Hockey Event

Growing up, Angela Ruggiero remembers being one of two female hockey players her age in the entire state of California.

The Olympic gold medalist played on a boy’s team with her brother, as there weren’t enough girls her age to complete a forward line, let alone a team. An all-girls hockey clinic like the one she led on Sunday at Northwell Health Ice Center, forget about it.

So the fact that the Hockey Hall of Famer was on the ice with 85 girls as part of the New York Islanders’ Girls Hockey Day just shows how far the women’s game has come.

“This is great, growing the game of women’s hockey in particular,” Ruggiero said. “When I started playing there was little-to-no girl’s hockey and now it’s starting to really take off. Women’s hockey has been in the Olympics now five times and there are opportunities for girls to get scholarships. I think [it’s important] just to grow the game in general.”

Ruggiero, a four-time Olympian with Team USA, led the two-hour session, which taught girls of all ages and skill levels.

“She was nice and taught us a lot of things,” Kaitlyn Fanelli, a second-year hockey player, said. …

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