She Can Play: Glass Ceilings Break as A Female Goaltender May Slot in on an ECHL team

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Joshua Deeds
October 15, 2023 (1:04 PM)

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As part of their commitment to breaking another glass ceiling in professional hockey, the Kalamazoo Wings have chosen to join the ECHL. The ECHL team has the opportunity to make history, which has not been seen since 1995.

Mariah Fujimagari will attend next week's K-Wings training camp. Anyone who didn't know the backstory would be surprised to find out about the 29-year-old's PTO offer.

SHE CAN PLAY: Mariah Fujimagari is aiming to become the first woman to appear in an
@ECHL
game since 1995. She's currently on a tryout contract with the
@KalamazooWings
and is making her case for a spot.

@NicoleHaase
with the story: https://flosports.link/3RVk9ZP

As they met at a goalie symposium many years ago, Joel Martin, coach of the Vancouver Canucks affiliate, was impressed. The way Fujimagari handled herself on ice and especially in goal impressed Martin.

It was his belief that her work ethic and intangible assets would be extremely beneficial to the Wings in the ECHL.

It was a long road for Fujimagari to the ECHL, as she had been in and out of leagues like the CWHL, PHF(then NWHL), and Swedish and Slovakian leagues. At In-Tech High Performance, she is the only woman who trains with men who play in the KHL, NHL, and other leagues.

Fujimagari has proven to Martin and others that she deserves a shot at being a goalie, and she is currently in training camp with three other goalies to compete for a job. In the event that she makes the team, she would become just the third woman on an ECHL roster since 1995.

Martin knows Fujimagari is dedicated to her craft, as while he leaves for the day, she is working hard to make the most of the situation.

K-Wings' last female player was Molly McMaster in 2006 when the club was in the United Hockey League.

Toni Will, the first female GM in the ECHL and the first female board member, isn't the organization's only historic hire. Joel Martin is the first black coach in the history of the K-Wings and the second black coach in professional hockey. It's Jason Payne of the Cincinnati Cyclones who is the other black coach in the league.

The organization seems to be dedicated to a paradigm shift in 2023.