The female goalie on Mars Area High School’s hockey team had a community and an Olympian rally around her after she was taunted with sexual chants at a game last month.
On Monday, a sold out crowd of over 800 people showed up to a Mars game at UMPC Lemieux Complex in Cranberry Township, PA in support of the goalie and her team.
The female goalie — who was left in tears last month when hecklers at a game spewed “suck our d–ks” and “she’s a whore” chants at her — has not been named. She plays varsity and JV for the Mars hockey team.
Brianne McLaughlin-Bittle, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, was in the crowd on Monday, and described the atmosphere as “pretty cool.”
“Every time she makes a save this place goes nuts!” she told WPXI. The former goalie for the Buffalo Beauts and Robert Morris Colonials now serves as goaltending coach for the US women’s national team.
So many people attended the game that it had to be relocated to a larger venue, according to WPXI. The day was saved by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who invited the team to play where the NHL team holds its practices.
Fans filled the crowd with celebratory signs that read, “Girls are strong!” and “We belong on the ice!”
The Mars hockey team played a game on Oct. 28, at Belmont Ice Arena (in Kittanning, PA), where approximately 50-60 Armstrong High School students yelled vulgar comments at the female goalie.
Her coach, Steve Meyers called the events “really disappointing.”
Meyers added that the league has had other female players and that inappropriate chants had never occurred.
League commissioner John Mucha said, “The game should’ve been stopped until the behavior stopped or the fans were escorted out of the building.”
As a result of the incident, Armstrong students were banned from attending hockey games, according to Yahoo Sports. The school’s hockey team was also placed on probation for the rest of the 2021-22 season, including the playoffs.
The Armstrong school district is reportedly carrying out an investigation to identify who took part in the heckling of the goalie.