Jaguar Hockey Club bringing first all-girls ice hockey team to Joliet, Illinois
Share and Follow

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) — Joliet will soon have its first all-girls ice hockey team.

The registration is already filling up as the team is flipping the script one puck at a time.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

When the Jaguar Hockey Club first opened applications, they hoped they would get enough girls just to fill a team. That interest has now more than tripled.

The athletes are making snow and rewriting a historic narrative with pink skates and all.

“I want to be good enough that they start accepting girls into the NHL,” 10-year-old Jaguar Hockey Club player Penny Antos said.

Antos and 11-year-old Ellie Sorg will be joining the first all-girls hockey team in Joliet this year. They are living proof of a decades-long dream.

“When we lost my sister when she was 19, and hockey was her absolute favorite thing in the world, but that’s been 25 years ago, and girls hockey was not an option,” Jaguar Hockey Club president Lauren Walsh said.

Walsh said her sister never got the chance to be on a team.

“Even her senior pictures were taken in old Blackhawk gear and sticks and all that,” Walsh said.

Now, 25 years later, Walsh is carrying out her sister’s love by giving the young girls of Joliet a chance to compete.

“We were just hoping for 12 girls that were interested, and now we’re in the 40s, 50s,” Walsh said.

According to USA Hockey, over the past 15 seasons, girls hockey in the United States has seen a participation increase of 65%.

“The puck’s the same color, but when you have the girls in the locker room and stuff like that, it transcends on there’s a lot of smiles out there,” Jaguar Hockey director Greg Stornello said.

With the launch of the professional women’s hockey league in 2023, the girls can now take their dream into adulthood.

“You just see them and you’re like, ‘Hey, I want to be like them,'” Sorg said. “You have nothing to like worry about, because all it’s about is like, having fun.”

So even if you fall, they said you have to try, try again.

“You might get hurt a couple times, but just you gotta keep trying and never give up,” Antos said.

Tryouts for the all-girls team in Joliet will be August 15, with the first game in September.

Copyright Ā© 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Travelers continue to deal with delays amid government shutdown

Concerns Rise About Air Traffic Staffing Due to Ongoing Shutdown

NEWARK, N.J. () With the federal government shutdown in its second week,…
A'Ja Wilson, Aces win third WNBA crown with four-game sweep of Mercury

A’Ja Wilson Leads Aces to Third WNBA Title with a Four-Game Sweep of the Mercury

A’Ja Wilson has secured another WNBA championship to her Hall-of-Fame credentials as…
Hamas co-founder snaps after being questioned on Oct 7 aftermath: ā€˜Go to hell’

Hamas co-founder snaps after being questioned on Oct 7 aftermath: ā€˜Go to hell’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A prominent Hamas leader…
South Carolina's longest-serving death row inmate dies after spending 42 years in prison

South Carolina’s longest-serving death row inmate dies after spending 42 years in prison

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! An 81-year-old inmate who…
Doctor's double life exposed after hidden camera discovery leads to prison murder plot

Doctor’s double life exposed after hidden camera discovery leads to prison murder plot

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Stacey Rutherford believed she…
Billie Eilish violently pulled into crowd at concert

Billie Eilish dragged into audience during concert incident

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site…
Criss Angel SPLITS from 'narcissist' wife again

Criss Angel Parts Ways with Wife Again Amidst ‘Narcissist’ Claims

Criss Angel and his wifeĀ Shaunyl Benson have split after a 13-year relationship.…
Mark Sanchez on the night he allegedly a 69-year-old man

Former NFL Quarterback Mark Sanchez Spotted Injured and Bleeding in Stabbing Incident Caught on Surveillance Video

() Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was seen bloody and wounded in…