Women's Collegiate Hockey Showcase Set to Inspire Future Generations

Some of the best hockey players in the country will be spending their Thanksgiving weekend in Music City, and the impact is sure to reach far beyond the two-day tournament.
The SMASHVILLE Women's Collegiate Hockey Showcase is set to take place at Ford Ice Center Bellevue on Nov. 26-27, and four NCAA Division I hockey teams - the Boston College Eagles, Colgate Raiders, Mercyhurst Lakers and Minnesota Golden Gophers - will be featured in the competition.
Additionally, the women's tournament will be accompanied by the SMASHVILLE Girls Hockey Showcase, which will allow aspiring athletes at the Tier I level to compete against each other and watch and learn from the perfect role models.

"This is going to be an incredible weekend of hockey, and not just specifically women's hockey, but hockey in general," Predators Amateur Hockey and Fan Development Manager Jennifer Boniecki said. "These women are at the top of their game and playing for some of the best teams in the country. We'll have the best of the best, and I think it's just going to be an incredible weekend of highly skilled players going out there and showcasing what they've got."
Boniecki would know what to expect better than most, too, considering she was appearing collegiately just a few years back.
The Illinois native skated on the blueline for Ohio State University from 2011-15 while furthering her dedication and passion for the game that has become her livelihood. Boniecki now spends her time in Nashville with the Predators organization helping future collegiate stars realize what's possible, and the upcoming Showcase will play a notable role in that development.
"I think every professional athlete will say, especially on the women's side, 'If you see it, you can be it,'" Boniecki said. "It's really important to see those women out there playing to show young girls that this is a viable option. I want all of our girls here in Nashville to be able to realize that if this is what they want to continue doing, if they want to play college hockey at the NCAA Division I level, that goal is reachable."
Boniecki grew up with those aspirations, and she looked to legendary female players like Cammi Granato - who grew up one town away from Boniecki - and defenseman Angela Ruggiero, both of whom won Gold for the United States at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Nowadays, players like Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Scofield capture the attention of young hopefuls, and not just girls, as Boniecki found out two years ago at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis.
"The NHL had the women's 3-on-3 showcase in the Skills Competition, and seeing everyone get to witness those women out on hockey's biggest stage was incredible," Boniecki said. "We took four youth players with the Junior Preds and our Little Preds Program - all boys - but they were so excited when they got to see the women walk across the red carpet. I thought I was going to have to introduce them to the women's players, but I was really pleasantly surprised when the boys turned and looked at me and were able to identify some of those players.
"It's not only important for girls to see it, it's important for boys to see it as well. They have to be welcoming to female players in their space and be supportive and be allies of the sport. That was something that was really powerful too, just being in that moment and being able to witness an arena full of youth players, girls, boys, adults and just fans alike. To be able to witness that and actively cheer and want to see them on a bigger platform was really exciting."
A similar experience will take place in Bellevue just five months from now, and
tickets to the Showcase went on sale Wednesday, June 23
, which also happens to be the 49th anniversary of the passing of Title IX.
Stemming from the Education Amendments Act of 1972, Title IX is a federal law that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
At the collegiate level, Title IX requires that women and men be provided equitable opportunities to participate in sports. Without that implementation, the dream of playing college hockey for so many may have never materialized.
"Without Title IX, I don't think women's hockey would be where it is, or would be here at all," Boniecki said. "To play the sport I've loved my entire life, and to play it in a women's only capacity is huge. There's a lot of women that came before me and came before all of my friends and teammates…and they helped pave the way for where hockey is right now. It's so important that our girls have the opportunity to play in an all-girls environment, but then also have the chance to play it at an elite level, and now in a professional capacity as well."
Perhaps that journey will begin for at least one hopeful the day after Thanksgiving as they watch the next generation of female stars in the sport.
At the very least, the entertainment value will be high. But chances are the young girls who are playing the game in these parts will take much more from the experience, just one more amazing result thanks in part to an NHL team that landed here all those years ago.
Nashville has more than established itself as a hockey town by now, and there is still so much more to dream.
"I want to see one of our girls in Nashville wearing those NCAA jerseys in a couple of years," Boniecki said. "I want them to come back and play in that showcase and identify that was that moment for them, that they saw this tournament, and then years down the road, they made it to that same point. That's the big hope and dream for this entire girls' program. From this tournament, I want everyone to enjoy it and support it, but also be inspired by it."
…
With two games played on each day of the tournament on Nov. 26-27 at Ford Ice Center Bellevue, single-day passes will be available to Preds Season Ticket Citizens for $20 and to the general public for $25. There are also a limited number of single-day VIP tickets, which include center ice seating and access to all-inclusive food and drinks in Draft Picks Restaurant & Bar. VIP tickets will cost $90 for Season Ticket Citizens and $100 for the general public.
All tickets will be sold at Ticketmaster.com
.