Monsters To Host Girls Street Hockey Clinics With Olympian Brianne McLaughlin

Team USA goalie headlines as Monsters team up with Dippin’ Dots to continue efforts to ‘Grow the Game’

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Monsters announced Thursday that the inaugural Monsters Girls Street Hockey Clinics presented by Dippin’ Dots will be led by two-time Olympic Silver Medalist Brianne McLaughlin at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Saturday, October 10th.

The Monsters Girls Clinics will be offered for girls ages 5-14 of all skill levels with a Beginners Session from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and an Experienced Session from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Both 90-minute sessions will include:

• A 30-minute panel with the clinic coaches to discuss and ask questions about being women in hockey
• A warmup for beginners led by the coaching staff that includes the hockey basics such as holding the stick and learning a proper stance
• USA Hockey-certified instruction in the fundamentals of stick-handling, shooting, and passing
• A socially distant meet-and-greet with McLaughlin and photo opportunity with her two Olympic Silver Medals

Participants can enroll online with just a $10 donation to the Monsters Community Foundation, which includes a specialty Monsters Girls Grow the Game T-shirt and a signed photo of McLaughlin. General COVID-19 health and safety protocols will be in effect for both sessions with additional information available here.

A four-year starter at Robert Morris University, McLaughlin began her hockey career in Northeast Ohio graduating from Elyria Central Catholic High School before embarking on her professional career with the NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts. McLaughlin earned numerous accolades throughout her career including two Olympic Silver Medals with Team USA at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic games, as well as two Gold Medals (2011, 2013) and one Silver Medal (2012) at the IIHF Women’s World Championships.

The Monsters Girls Street Hockey Clinics are an extension of the team’s Grow the Game initiative which was established in 2017 to introduce new players to the sport of hockey while limiting barriers to entry. This inaugural girls-specific event is the first of several that will shine a light on the existing female hockey community in Northeast Ohio. Future events will be both virtual and in-person with the objective of highlighting the impact of women in hockey while connecting local girls and women with opportunities in Northeast Ohio.