EAST LANSING -- It's ladies night at Munn Ice Arena.
"I want to be on the ice," Mary Younger said. "I'm a hockey fan, but never played."
"Are you going to check someone?" NBC25 asked Sharon Slobodnik. "No," she quickly answered.
MSU's hockey coach Tom Anastos hosted the first-ever women's hockey clinic Wednesday night.
"I was copying what Mark Dantonio and the football staff did," Anastos said. "I thought it would be fun a thing for hockey."
Fifty-five women of all ages, shapes and backgrounds got an inside glimpse into the program, including some MSU coaches.
"I think I can take [the MSU softball coach] Jacquie Joseph down," The Women's Gymnastics Coach Kathie Klages said. "I could probably take [the Women's Basketball Coach] Suzy Merchant too."
"Now all the trash talking begins once we get here," Merchant said. "I think we all just want to have fun and learn about the sport."
A surprise to me, they told me I could join in too. So, after getting my gear, it was time for a classroom session, then a meet-and-greet with players, and a tour of Munn Arena.
Then, the ladies entered the Spartan locker room for a lesson on a taping a stick and getting dressed in all that equipment.
Following a walk down the tunnel, we got a lesson on stick handling, passing and shooting. The grand finale was practicing getting over the boards. I have to say, my high school playing days helped a bit there.
Overall, the group is not that good, but that wasn't the point.
"I did not know what to expect knowing some of these ladies have never been on the ice before," MSU Junior Defenseman Jake Chelios said. "I knew it would be fun, and it was."
"I hope they make a connection to the the people in this program as well as the school and athletic department," Anastos said. "Most of all, I hope they have a lot of laughs."
It seems, the mission was easily acomplished, and overall it was a win for MSU hockey.
"I thought it was an awesome experience," Suzie Jager said.
