At the end of Marblehead Youth Hockey’s season, nearly 40 moms decided it was their turn to take the ice. They laced up their skates at the Connery Rink in Lynn on March 29.
The result: a wobbly, surprisingly competitive and ultimately inspiring first-ever Marblehead Youth Hockey “Moms vs. Moms” game — complete with referees, team names and a crowd of cheering kids.
“It was amazing,” said Tina Fox, whose 8-year-old daughter Emmy plays with MYH.
After spending countless hours watching from the stands, “it was so cool to feel what it’s like to be in the game,” Fox added. “It was super fun to be in their shoes… I mean, skates.”
The game featured two teams of mothers, each skating three shifts of six players. Many had never played organized hockey before. Some hadn’t been on skates in decades.
And a few had only recently learned how to skate.
“A couple of the moms even joined the ‘Learn to Skate’ classes,” Fox said.
Emily Ries, who leads Marblehead Youth Hockey, organized the game and hopes to make it an annual event.
“There was so much excitement from all the moms,” she said. “I wish we did it sooner.”
The teams embraced the fun of it all, leaning into the spirit of the event. Ries coached the Ice Ice Maybies. The other team was called Red Hot Mess Express.
Despite the inexperience, the game was real hockey — with a referee and everything — and ended with a 5-2 score with the Maybies winning.
Along the boards and in the stands were the players’ biggest fans: their kids.
“All the kids were there cheering,” Fox said. “I think they were thinking, ‘Whoa… this is weird.’”
For many of the moms, the game fulfilled a long-delayed dream.
“This was my hockey debut,” Fox said. “I wanted to play hockey as a child, but my older sister played, and my parents were done after that.”
Marblehead Youth Hockey introduces players to the sport as early as age 3 and offers programs through the U14 level. The organization also runs the “Holly Hocks,” a girls’ program that brings players from surrounding towns together for U8 and U10 teams, monthly all-girls skates and tournaments. At the high school level, girls from Marblehead often compete on a cooperative team with neighboring communities. Learn more at marbleheadyouthhockey.org.
“We’re together so much during the season — it really is a family,” Ries said. “I’d love to have more fundraisers and events outside the rink to bring people together.”
If the moms’ game proved anything, it’s that the hockey bug doesn’t only bite kids.
“It’s never too late,” Fox said. “If you’re an adult who always wanted to try a sport — just go for it.”
