ST. LOUIS — When it’s practice night for the Lady Cyclones at Centene Community Ice Center, some pretty cool lessons play out in the rink: focus, achieving goals, teamwork, getting up when you fall — sometimes, literally.
“They just like to get out there and show the world what they can do,” said Emily Kuryla, a hockey mom and coach with the team.
Established 20 years ago, the Lady Cyclones is the oldest all-girls hockey team in the St. Louis area. Bolstered by the St. Louis Blues and watching the women of Team USA find success in the sport, the club has seen positive growth throughout the last two decades. Lady Cyclones are as young as 4 years old, and go all the way up to the elite 19U teammates.
“We've got opportunities at all ages for girls to grow and succeed,” said Kuryla. “We really believe in the growth of the game and getting as many girls out here to participate as possible.”
They host quarterly "try for free" events where your girls can come try out the pads, skate around and see if they might be interested in learning more about hockey.
“We think that the benefit of playing with all girls is not only making strong female friendships on your team and being teammates and being in the locker room with your best friends, but it also means more opportunities for girls' development,” said Kuryla.
Morgan Grzybowski is a smiling high school senior who was a cheerleader before she decided to give hockey a go about six years ago. Next year, she will begin college and hopes to become a doctor. This year, she’s captain of her 19U team.
“A hockey player is a confident girl with a lot of energy, motivation and just wants to have fun out there and be like everybody else,” said Grzybowski. “I just love being able to tell people that I play hockey.”
Luci Manno, an outgoing eighth grader whose other extracurriculars include theatre and cheerleading, said she wanted to gear up after watching her brothers play hockey.
“People have always said, you know, hockey is a boys sport, and I think that's just so not true because girls can honestly do anything boys can,” she said. “You should never let anybody tell you that you can't do something you're passionate about.”