Color of Hockey: Harlem girls wowed on trip to see Wisconsin women's team

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Ice Hockey in Harlem, which sent eight girls players to visit the University of Wisconsin’s NCAA Division I women’s hockey team and Badgers forward/defenseman Laila Edwards, who could become the first Black player to play for the U.S. women’s hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Haylee Muicela was still bubbling with excitement as she prepared to board a plane home to New York after spending a weekend with the University of Wisconsin’s women’s hockey team.

“Because me, personally, I didn’t ever expect to meet famous hockey players or meet the team like we did,” the 11-year-old from Harlem said. “I’m just a regular girl just doing and practicing hockey and stuff like that.”

Haylee and seven other girls from New York’s Ice Hockey in Harlem program received the star treatment from Wisconsin when they visited the Madison campus Oct. 10-13. The Harlem players saw No. 1-ranked NCAA Division I Wisconsin sweep the University of Minnesota Duluth 4-3 and 4-0 in a weekend series. They watched the two teams warm up from the glass before the games and formed a handshake line the Wisconsin players passed through before the first period and at the end of the games.

They toured the Badgers locker room, met with players past and present and had a question-and-answer session with defenseman/forward Laila Edwards, who could make history as the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women’s hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, defenseman Caroline “K.K.” Harvey and Chayla Edwards, Laila Edwards’ older sister, who was a Wisconsin defenseman from 2019-24.

“It was really a lot of goodwill from the Wisconsin community, they really welcomed us in and rolled out the red carpet for us,” IHIH executive director Malik Garvin said.

“This literally showcases the game for our girls. They get to see hockey at its highest level, played by women. It inspires them, of course, but empowers them to know that they can do it, that they are hockey players and to stick with it.

“The impact is this whole trip is not just a chance to watch a hockey game, it's a chance to travel to a different part of the country, a chance to see what it's like to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights, for them to see Madison and Wisconsin. It simply broadens their horizons. It lets them know, ‘There are other places out there that I can get to. There are greener pastures out there, and if I work hard enough, then I can get there.’”

That message was reinforced by Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson as he ran the Harlem players through drills at LaBahn Arena, the Badgers' home rink.

“I saw different levels of talent, different skills in each one of them," Johnson said, "but with the common theme was the smiles on their face as you look through their mask. One girl came up to me quickly and asked, ‘How do I score goals? I want to score a goal. How do I score goals?’ We spent about 15 or 20 minutes doing a couple of drills. Some of them skated really well, and some of them are just getting their feet wet.

"They seemed to enjoy being on the ice, especially after watching our game. Then the place is cleared out, and now we're on the same ice sheet that we just witnessed the game. It was fun for everybody.”

The girls said they were most excited about being able to see Laila Edwards play, albeit for a short time. Edwards, a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, voted as the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey, injured her left knee toward the end of the second period of the first game against Minnesota Duluth.

But the injury didn’t prevent her from spending time with the IHIH visitors.

“I think it's super important that you can see representation up close and personal,” Edwards said. “I think it's one thing to see it on TV and on social media, but to be able to speak with them in person, I think has a greater impact.”

Edwards said the visit reminded her of how meaningful it was for her as a young player when she first spoke with Blake Bolden and Kaliya Johnson, Black players who skated for Boston College and later played professionally. Bolden, a member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, is a scout and community and hockey development specialist for the Los Angeles Kings.

“Speaking with them was awesome,” Edwards said.

IHIH was founded in 1987 by Dave Wilk, Todd Levy and former New York Rangers forward Pat Hickey. The program offers free hockey and academic enrichment programs to children ages 5-18 from the Harlem community. It reinforces the value of staying in school and teaches life skills, discipline and the value of teamwork through the prism of hockey.

The organization skated at the outdoor Lasker Rink in the northern end of New York’s Central Park until the facility was closed for renovation in 2021. IHIH is scheduled to return to its home rink, renamed the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer, in November.

The homecoming includes the official launch of an IHIH girls’ hockey program, which already has more than 40 participants registered, including those who made the Wisconsin trip.

“This is the result of a mindful effort over the past five years to get more girls from our community involved in the sport,” Garvin said. The idea behind the girls' program is very simple, to empower them and provide them with the women’s hockey experience because it better sets them up for success.”

Victoria Estrada already felt successful after the Wisconsin trip. The 13-year-old New Yorker said she left Madison with more confidence in her abilities and an autographed stick from Laila Edwards.

“That really made me want to continue playing hockey and make me not want to quit,” Victoria said. “And even if I wanted to quit in the future, I wouldn't because she gave me the stick. It’s like a treasure.”