PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gina McLaughlin has been the head women’s hockey coach at Neumann University in Aston since 2014. She has led the Knights to four United College Hockey Conference playoff berths and recently was chosen for enshrinement into the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame.
“It was a huge surprise,” McLaughlin told KYW Newsradio in the latest episode of 1-on-1 with Matt Leon, which you can listen to below.
“I just kind of got a call out of the blue one day that I was being inducted. Once that sort of settled, and I was kind of able to let the shock wear off a little bit, I was just super excited and obviously honored, humbled to be in such a prestigious group.”
McLaughlin followed in her brother’s "skatesteps," if you will, deciding to take up the game when she was about 11 or 12. She was often the only girl on boys' teams throughout her early years in the sport and played on the boys' team at Interboro High School, often becoming the target of excessive mistreatment from opposing fans.
“The support of my team was was incredible and probably helped me through most of it,” said McLaughlin. “I never really let it affect me. I kind of took it as you know, sort of a badge of honor. They're only targeting me because maybe I can play this sport pretty well.”
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She has dedicated part of her life to giving women opportunities in a sport that is coming closer to the mainstream for women in sports.
“Even at the [NCAA] Division III level, teams are popping up left and right, all over the country. Youth hockey, especially in our areas, [is] just booming,” McLaughlin, a Norwood native, said. She explained that when she started, there was only a 19 years old-and-under youth hockey team for women and girls.
“My youngest daughter just got asked to play on an eight-and-under team,” she explained. “It's crazy. There are multiple teams at multiple levels. So it's definitely booming, but it's awesome to see.”
McLaughlin set records that still stand while playing for the Boston University Terriers, but when her college career ended, coaching was not her first career choice.
“I just never looked at it as something that I could do. I'm graduating from college, I'm moving back home, not a ton of programs in around Pennsylvania,” she said.
“I remember I got a phone call one day from Matt Kennedy, who used to be the head coach here at Neumann University. I hadn't really known Matt that well, but we had worked at camp together one year. I was a counselor, he was a coach.”
She said Kennedy called her just at the point she was moving home, graduating in 2009.
“He said, ‘Hey, do you want to come be my volunteer?’ And I said ‘What does that mean?’ He's like, ‘Just coming out to the practices, games, kind of be involved with the program, really make your own schedule, just come here and work with the girls.’ And I just thought, ‘Hey, what an awesome way to kind of stay involved, right?’”
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McLaughlin stayed on for two years, with her second year being a paid position. She moved on to assist the Penn State women’s hockey program in its inaugural year and stayed until returning to Neumann, becoming head coach of the program in 2014.
“My experience in college was absolutely incredible, some of the best four years of my life,” McLaughlin said. “I can maybe help someone have the best four years of their life through sport.”
“I could play a role in helping someone finish out their career and have just an awesome time playing that. Why wouldn't I want to give it a try?” she added.
“Getting to be on the ice every day just getting to interact with my young self and all the athletes that I coach, kids that just absolutely love the sport and want to get better and just want to compete at the highest level.”
Those reasons are why McLaughlin remains, and thrives, in coaching women's hockey.
"I felt it's sort of a responsibility to give back and to continue to help grow the sport," she said. "Younger players can have, you know, an even better experience than I."
Jay Sorgi contributed to this report.
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