Samantha McNamee of North Bellmore took the ice at UBS Arena on Sunday, and the 9-year-old was in awe of the vast cavern of stands surrounding her and nearly 400 other local girls.
“It was exciting to be on an NHL rink. … Things have been going pretty well over the past year,” McNamee, who’s been skating for about 10 months, told The Post.
They had geared up for the Islanders’ “girls hockey weekend,” where former U.S. Olympian Erika Lawler, the LIU women’s hockey team and Isles alum Arron Asham were developing the next generation, and sparking their love for the game.
“It made me feel really good to learn from real hockey players,” said McNamee, who first picked up a stick at last year’s event, which was about half the size of this year’s.
“I know I could learn a lot from them.”
Breaking the ice
Lawler, especially, was impressed by the number of girls eager to try hockey this time around, as starting at the youth level hits close to home for her. The silver medalist from the 2010 Vancouver Games distinctly remembers how “intimidating” it can be to play as “one of the only girls amongst a lot of boys” at a young age.
“It’s really cool to see the game growing here on the Island … and how girls can grow playing with other girls,” Lawler said, adding how eager she is to continue the culture change.
“Any time I have a chance [to run clinics like this] I try to make it work into my schedule.”
The initiative is run by Islanders senior director of hockey development Jocelyne Cummings, who said the goal is “to break every barrier down” to let girls know they’re welcome on the ice, whether or not they’re playing with boys.
“You’re seeing it slowly with more school teams,” she said. “It starts here at the grassroots level, and the more girls want to play, the more organizations will look to launch girls-only versions.”
Blades of glory
It also helps that hockey had a banner year of attention from the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and, closer to home, generated tons ofthe hype around the Islanders’ first-overall draft pick, Matthew Schaefer.
McNamee’s younger sister, Sarah, said the new defenseman is her favorite player on the team, and his presence encouraged her to take the ice for one of her first times on Sunday.
“It was fun … especially when you get to score goals,” said the 6-year-old who saw Schaefer’s first NHL goal Saturday night vs. the Capitals.
She was also enthusiastic about the drills, such as “skating backwards, forwards, and passing the puck” that Lawler had the girls, divided into different age and experience groups, run.
And Matt Herr, the NHL’s senior director of industry growth and youth hockey, is expecting things to get better and better in Nassau County.
“Days like this make a big deal in the community — and people start to notice,” said Herr, who also skated and helped out. “It always takes some time … but events like this help grow long-term commitment.”
Such is the case of the McNamee sisters, and many more girls on Long Island, who now strive for greatness.
“We’re skating a lot now,” said Samantha. “I really want to keep improving.”
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