At Even Strength: A Women's Hockey Podcast

rica L. Ayala sits down with Katie Fitzgerald — 2018 Isobel Cup Champion with the Metropolitan Riveters, now a graduate student in digital communications and media arts at DePaul University — to talk about life after professional hockey, the art of documentary filmmaking, and what it meant to be part of a pivotal moment in women’s hockey history.Katie’s short documentary film Blessed Art Thou Among Women premiered at the Dare to Dream Film Festival in Chicago — and won the audience choice award. The film tells the story of her great-aunt Betty, a former nun whose hidden life Katie discovered at a family funeral in 2022. It’s a film about family lore, generational freedom, and the things women weren’t allowed to be.Then: Katie is in the early stages of a documentary series about the Metropolitan Riveters — interviewing Alexa Grushow and Kim Sass about what it was actually like to leave college, move across the country, and try to build a professional women’s hockey league from the ground up. The ice bath made from a horse trough. The lease signed on the hood of a car in Newark. The year that changed everything. And the decision in 2019 that she knew she’d never personally benefit from — but made anyway.PLUS: new PWHL rules for Season 4, including the high-sticking change, the overtime penalty shot option, and the body checking evolution. Katie reacts as a former goaltender — and it’s exactly what you’d expect.0:00 — Intro: Katie Fitzgerald, Isobel Cup champion, filmmaker, DePaul grad student3:00 — How storytelling has always been part of Katie’s identity — from goalie masks to documentary film6:00 — Blessed Art Thou Among Women: the story of great-aunt Betty, the secret revealed at a funeral, and what the film is really about13:00 — The editing process: what ended up on the cutting room floor and what took the longest to get right18:00 — Where to watch it: the DVD-menu website Katie is building, and a possible feature-length expansion23:00 — The Metropolitan Riveters documentary series: the interviews, the stories, and what Katie wants the ending note to be30:00 — 2019 and “the great divorce of women’s hockey” — why Katie made the decision she made and what it feels like now35:00 — Working for the PWHL: what her role in e-commerce and merchandising actually looks like38:00 — New PWHL rules for Season 4: high-sticking, overtime penalty shots, and body checking — a former goalie reacts44:00 — Women’s Worlds opens today in Denmark — and Hilary Knight is somehow still not retiredAt Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.Follow us on Bluesky social!Erica L Ayala🦋https://bsky.app/profile/elindsay08.bsky.socialRachel Donner🦋https://bsky.app/profile/rmiriam.bsky.socialAt Even Strength on TikTok📲https://www.tiktok.com/@atevenstrength_podFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/Black Rosie Media: Olympics, Women’s Hockey, Women’s Basketball, and other stories that matter!🎧 https://linktr.ee/BlackRosieMedia#pwhl #womenshockey #hockey🎥 WATCH• Subscribe to this channel: youtube.com/channel/@BLKRosieMedia▶︎ Exclusive Interviews:    • Black Rosie Media  I Interviews   🎧 LISTEN• Download and follow & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Apple: http://bit.ly/4bCWKpn• Other Black Rosie Media podcasts: https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/ 📱FOLLOW BLACK ROSIE MEDIA• TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@blackrosiemedia • Instagram: • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia 📖 READ• More PWHL news: • More Black women in sports news: • More WNBA news: 💵Black Women in Sports• Exclusive Interviews with Black Women in Sports: • Must-Watch documentaries:• Must-read books & articles: ABOUT THE SHOWGet your weekly women’s hockey fix with Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. They will cover the top news in the PWHL, NCAA, and international women’s ice hockey.

Season 4 is almost here — and this week Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner have a full slate before the puck drops.First: the PWHL signing wave continues. Kirsten Simms locks in a three-year deal with Toronto — exactly what the Sceptres needed heading into a reset season. The New York Sirens extend Misha Nylander-Persson on a one-year deal to anchor their blue line, and Denisa Křížová gets a second year tacked onto her existing contract. Plus the duo digs into why salary transparency still lags in women’s hockey — and why roster size opacity is making it worse.Then the conversation that’s been building all offseason: a bill introduced by Republican lawmakers in September would cap international student participation on NCAA varsity rosters at 20%. Erica and Rachel break down what the TEAM USA Act actually says, why it’s solving a problem that doesn’t exist for international athletes on student visas, and why women’s hockey — built on a pipeline of Canadian and European players coming through the NCAA — would feel this more than almost any other sport. Plus: what it means for PWHL scouting if that pipeline disappears.Then it’s the Women’s World Championships preview. Corinne Schroeder suffered an off-ice injury at Hockey Canada’s camp, putting her status in doubt just weeks before the tournament opens November 6th in Denmark. Erica and Rachel break down both the Hockey Canada and Team USA rosters — the notable absences on the Canadian side (MPP, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull), the Chloe Primerano opportunity, and what the USA’s minimal changes between camps tells us about where they stand. Plus the full Group A and Group B breakdown, the USA-Canada exhibition games on October 28th and 30th, and Austria’s surprising new front office led by Gina Kingsbury.0:00 — Intro: PWHL signing news, a congressional bill, and the Women’s Worlds preview2:00 — Kirsten Simms signs three years with Toronto, Misha Nylander-Persson re-ups with New York, and Denisa Křížová’s contract extension4:30 — Salary transparency and roster size opacity: why women’s hockey still has work to do8:00 — The TEAM USA Act: what capping international NCAA rosters at 20% would actually mean13:30 — Why women’s hockey would be among the hardest hit — and what it means for PWHL scouting19:00 — Corinne Schroeder injured at Hockey Canada camp — what it means for San Jose and Team Canada’s goaltending depth25:00 — Hockey Canada camp roster breakdown: who’s in, who’s out, and Chloe Primerano’s opportunity30:00 — Team USA’s second camp: Grace Dwyer out, Callie Shanahan in, and what minimal changes signal35:30 — Women’s Worlds Group A and Group B preview: USA, Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, Finland, and more40:00 — Austria with Gina Kingsbury at the helm, Theresa Schafzahl connection, and what to watch for in Denmark43:00 — What’s coming: weekly episodes start in November, expansion team previews, and the road to puck dropAt Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.Follow us on Bluesky social!Erica L Ayala🦋https://bsky.app/profile/elindsay08.bsky.socialRachel Donner🦋https://bsky.app/profile/rmiriam.bsky.socialAt Even Strength on TikTok📲https://www.tiktok.com/@atevenstrength_podFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/Black Rosie Media: Olympics, Women’s Hockey, Women’s Basketball, and other stories that matter!🎧 https://linktr.ee/BlackRosieMedia#pwhl #womenshockey #hockey🎥 WATCH• Subscribe to this channel: youtube.com/channel/@BLKRosieMedia▶︎ Exclusive Interviews:    • Black Rosie Media  I Interviews   🎧 LISTEN• Download and follow & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Apple: http://bit.ly/4bCWKpn• Other Black Rosie Media podcasts: https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/ 📱FOLLOW BLACK ROSIE MEDIA• TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@blackrosiemedia • Instagram: • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia 📖 READ• More PWHL news: • More Black women in sports news: • More WNBA news: 💵Black Women in Sports• Exclusive Interviews with Black Women in Sports: • Must-Watch documentaries:• Must-read books & articles: ...

Season 4 is coming together fast — and Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner are back together to break it all down.First up: the expansion team jerseys are here. Las Vegas goes desert camo — sagebrush green with navy accents that reads military fatigue but works on the ice. San Jose gets an A-minus with sherbet orange and ocean blue that’s giving California vibes and wearability. Hamilton brings burgundy and gold with an orangey accent that’s giving golden gopher energy — sharp, but not as sharp as San Jose. And Detroit? They nailed it. Red and white with a classic hockey look that’ll be the easiest to read on TV all season — and debuting it with Hilary Knight in motion was the right call. Vancouver’s jerseys leaked, and they look great. Seattle’s color scheme still isn’t anyone’s favorite, but the jury’s out until we see it under arena lights.Then the signings: KK Harvey finally puts pen to paper on a three-year deal with Vancouver — the first contract signed by the Golden Eyes’ new GM. Grace Dwyer goes to Boston on a three-year deal out of Cornell. Las Vegas gets three draft picks done in one day: Lacey Eden on two years, plus Issy Wunder and Josefin Bouveng. Hamilton signs Nelli Laitinen to three years and Jada Iginla to one.Rachel breaks down the training camp math: 346 camp invites for 312 spots across 12 teams, with San Jose and Hamilton leading in camp invites. Training camps open in November — just two days after Women’s Worlds wrap in Denmark. And the expansion team names? They’ve been circulated internally. A leak is probably coming.0:00 — Intro: jerseys, signings, training camp rosters, and what’s still coming before puck drop 2:00 — Conference structure revisited: is the expansion-heavy West a competitive fairness issue? 4:30 — Expansion team jersey rankings: Las Vegas, San Jose, Hamilton, and Detroit reviewed 9:30 — Vancouver jersey leak and Seattle’s color scheme — what we know and what we’re waiting on 12:00 — Schedule release breakdown: Takeover Tour dates, alternate venues, and what TBD actually tells us 15:00 — Playoff format debate: is eight of twelve teams making it too many — and could the PWHL go WNBA-style? 18:30 — KK Harvey signs three years with Vancouver, Grace Dwyer to Boston, and Las Vegas gets three done in one day 22:00 — Training camp roster math: 346 invites, 312 spots, and what the breakdown tells us about each team 26:00 — Training camps open in November, Women’s Worlds overlap, and expansion team names incoming 29:00 — What’s next: expansion team previews, games to circle, and the road to Season 4ABOUT THE SHOWAt Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. Get your weekly women’s hockey fix with Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. They will cover the top news in the PWHL, NCAA, and international women’s ice hockey.New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.Follow us on Bluesky social!Erica L Ayala🦋https://bsky.app/profile/elindsay08.bsky.socialRachel Donner🦋https://bsky.app/profile/rmiriam.bsky.socialAt Even Strength on TikTok📲https://www.tiktok.com/@atevenstrength_podFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/Black Rosie Media: Olympics, Women’s Hockey, Women’s Basketball, and other stories that matter!🎧 https://linktr.ee/BlackRosieMedia#pwhl #womenshockey #hockey🎥 WATCH• Subscribe to this channel: youtube.com/channel/@BLKRosieMedia▶︎ Exclusive Interviews:    • Black Rosie Media  I Interviews   🎧 LISTEN• Download and follow & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Apple: http://bit.ly/4bCWKpn• Other Black Rosie Media podcasts: https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/ 📱FOLLOW BLACK ROSIE MEDIA• TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@blackrosiemedia • Instagram: • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia 📖 READ• More PWHL news: • More Black women in sports news: https://tinyurl.com/4rcatcuw • More WNBA news: 💵Black Women in Sports• Exclusive Interviews with Black Women in Sports: https://tinyurl.com/4rcatcuw• Must-Watch documentaries:• Must-read books & articles: 

The PWHL schedule is out — and Rachel Donner breaks it all down solo on this special edition of At Even Strength.Twelve teams, two conferences, 30 games per team. The Eastern Conference features Boston, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton as the lone expansion team in the East. The Western Conference brings together Detroit, Las Vegas, San Jose, Minnesota, Seattle, and Vancouver — expansion-heavy and geographically spread out in a way that makes travel a real storyline for Season 4.18 games in conference, 12 out of conference, which means every team visits every market at some point — though not necessarily every arena. The Takeover Tour is baked into the schedule with asterisks marking neutral-site games and carrots marking alternate venues like the Bell Centre in Montréal and Madison Square Garden in New York, with specific locations still TBD.And the playoff format question that's been haunting Erica and Rachel all offseason finally has an answer: eight teams make it — four from each conference. The conference winner gets to choose their opponent from the third- or fourth-place team (not second), best of three in round one, best of five in the semis, and then the Walter Cup Finals. Season opener: December 6th–13th, following Women's Worlds.0:00 — Breaking news: the PWHL Season 4 schedule is here — Rachel goes solo 1:00 — 30 games, two conferences, 18 in-conference and 12 out-of-conference games explained 2:15 — Eastern Conference breakdown: Boston, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton 3:30 — Western Conference breakdown: Detroit, Las Vegas, San Jose, Minnesota, Seattle, and Vancouver 4:15 — Takeover Tour and alternate venues: how to read the asterisks and carrots in the schedule 5:15 — Playoff format revealed: 8 teams, conference winners choose their opponent, best of three in round one 6:30 — Season opener: December 6th–13th, and what questions still remain heading into Season 4At Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.Follow us on Bluesky social!Erica L Ayala🦋https://bsky.app/profile/elindsay08.bsky.socialRachel Donner🦋https://bsky.app/profile/rmiriam.bsky.socialAt Even Strength on TikTok📲https://www.tiktok.com/@atevenstrength_podFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/Black Rosie Media: Olympics, Women’s Hockey, Women’s Basketball, and other stories that matter!🎧 https://linktr.ee/BlackRosieMedia#pwhl #womenshockey #hockey🎥 WATCH• Subscribe to this channel: youtube.com/channel/@BLKRosieMedia▶︎ Exclusive Interviews:    • Black Rosie Media  I Interviews   🎧 LISTEN• Download and follow & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Apple: http://bit.ly/4bCWKpn• Other Black Rosie Media podcasts: https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/ 📱FOLLOW BLACK ROSIE MEDIA• TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@blackrosiemedia • Instagram: • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia ABOUT THE SHOWGet your weekly women’s hockey fix with Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. They will cover the top news in the PWHL, NCAA, and international women’s ice hockey.

The PWHL is going to its first-ever All-Star Weekend — and Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner have a lot to say about it. March 7th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the format mirrors the World Cup of Hockey: Team USA, Team Canada, Team International, and a Rookies team playing 3-on-3. Erica and Rachel break down why the rookie angle is the most exciting part, what the broadcast will need to do to make it land, and why 12 teams is exactly the right moment for the league to pull this off.Then it's Hockey Canada news: Corey Cheverie is the new head coach, elevated from an assistant role under Troy Ryan. Danièle Sauvageau is the new GM, with Ottawa's Mike Hirschfeld and Detroit's Manon Rhéaume joining as assistant GMs and Kris Sparre — fresh off Coach of the Year honors in the PWHL — coming on as an assistant coach. Erica and Rachel dig into whether promoting from within is the right call, what Bruce Cassidy's role as special advisor actually means, and the ongoing overlap between Hockey Canada and PWHL front offices.Then the Seattle Torrent deep dive. A team that allowed 92 goals — the most in the league by a significant margin — lost Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Kayla Barnes, and Kareem Schroeder to expansion, and moved on from their first head coach. Christine Bumstead steps up from the assistant role, Abby Murphy comes in as the number two overall pick, and CJ Jackson returns with something to prove. Is this a team with a real path forward — or is Year 2 going to look a lot like Year 1?Finally: the Mark Walter update everyone needs to hear. PWHL trademarks have been put up as collateral in connection with Walter's ongoing loan fraud investigation. Erica and Rachel break down what that actually means, why it's getting closer to the league, and why they're watching — but not panicking yet.0:00 — Intro: PWHL All-Star Weekend announced, Hockey Canada news, Seattle deep dive, and Mark Walter update2:30 — PWHL's first-ever All-Star Weekend: March 7th at Scotiabank Arena, the 3-on-3 format, and why the Rookies team is going to steal the show9:00 — Hockey Canada coaching staff: Corey Cheverie as head coach, Kris Sparre as assistant, and what promoting from within signals13:00 — Danièle Sauvageau as Team Canada GM: the Hockey Canada front office overhaul and Bruce Cassidy's advisory role explained18:30 — Seattle Torrent Season 3 review: 92 goals allowed, even-strength scoring problems, and what went wrong22:00 — Expansion losses: Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Corrine Schroeder — and whether Seattle's reset makes sense27:30 — Abbey Murphy at #2 overall, CJ Jackson returning, and how Christine Bumstead might fix the goaltending question33:00 — Seattle's path forward: Alex Carpenter, Julia Gosling, Sydney Morrow on the blue line, and what the top line could look like40:00 — Mark Walter update: PWHL trademarks used as loan collateral — what it means and why AES is watching closelyAt Even Strength is a PWHL-focused podcast from Black Rosie Media, hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. New episodes drop on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.Follow us on Bluesky social!Erica L Ayala🦋https://bsky.app/profile/elindsay08.bsky.socialRachel Donner🦋https://bsky.app/profile/rmiriam.bsky.socialAt Even Strength on TikTok📲https://www.tiktok.com/@atevenstrength_podFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/Black Rosie Media: Olympics, Women’s Hockey, Women’s Basketball, and other stories that matter!🎧 https://linktr.ee/BlackRosieMedia#pwhl #womenshockey #hockey🎥 WATCH• Subscribe to this channel: youtube.com/channel/@BLKRosieMedia▶︎ Exclusive Interviews:    • Black Rosie Media  I Interviews   🎧 LISTEN• Download and follow & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Apple: http://bit.ly/4bCWKpn• Other Black Rosie Media podcasts: https://blackrosiemedia.transistor.fm/ 📱FOLLOW BLACK ROSIE MEDIA• TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@blackrosiemedia • Instagram: • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia ABOUT THE SHOWGet your weekly women’s hockey fix with Erica L. Ayala and Rachel Donner. They will cover the top news in the PWHL, NCAA, and international women’s ice hockey.