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Josie Schmidt 鈥�22 was in the stands as a fan for the first-ever home game for the Boston team in the Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League (PWHL).

鈥淟ike many others around me, the overwhelmingly positive environment and elated fans, players, and staff nearly brought me to tears,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淵oung girls held signs that read 鈥楶lay like a girl鈥� and 鈥楾his is what dreams are made of.鈥� I knew in that moment that this league would make a lasting impact on the industry, and I wanted to join the team of trailblazers behind the scenes.鈥�

Soon enough, Schmidt '22 fulfilled that goal.

She was hired as the manager of partnership services for the PWHL, building relationships with partners for the U.S. teams. She developed and coordinated events for youth and the community and on-ice promotions and giveaways, while also creating social media content.

She was one of two University of New Haven alumni hired to help build the six-team women鈥檚 professional hockey league featuring teams in Boston, New York, Minnesota, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto.

Fellow alum Mike Pantera 鈥�23 M.S., who received the Pompea College of Business鈥檚 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Sport Management in 2023, was hired as the fan experience and game activations associate for the Boston team.

鈥淟eagues would normally take several years to develop, but the PWHL was launched with six teams in just a few short months,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n my first full-time sports role, I was able to witness what it takes to build a professional sports league from the ground up. I found out quickly everything happens at triple the pace.鈥�

鈥楾his is the greatest time to be involved in women鈥檚 sports鈥�

Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D., professor and chair of Sport Management, encouraged both of her former students to seek jobs with the new hockey league.

鈥淭his is the greatest time to be involved in women鈥檚 sports, where records are broken weekly, with ongoing unmet consumer demand,鈥� Mumcu said. 鈥淏eing a part of the PWHL鈥檚 inaugural season has provided Josie and Mike experiences they would not gain anywhere else. They engaged in decision making and execution early in their careers and had an amazing opportunity to be a part of a new, exciting league as it launched what is likely to be the most successful women鈥檚 professional hockey league in history.鈥�

For Schmidt, one of the best moments came when she planned an event for youth hockey players with one of the league鈥檚 partners. Young players had the chance to high five the Minnesota team as they were about to take the ice and later get autographs and take photos with the players.

鈥淭he kids were elated, and starstruck during the entire event because they had just met their idols,鈥� said Schmidt, who earned a master鈥檚 degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 鈥淪eeing their excitement further enforced why I love what I do.鈥�

Pantera said he relished working on the fan experience for Boston and watching as the team made it to the Walter Cup championship series. 鈥淲hile PWHL Boston did not win the championship, it was truly gratifying to see the cup raised by Minnesota in our home building,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t signified the end of a season of history and gave a glimpse of what will be sure to grow in the coming years.鈥�

鈥楿nlike anything I鈥檝e seen鈥�

Both Pantera and Schmidt said they continually tapped into the skills they developed in their sport management courses and the professional experiences the faculty supported them in pursuing.

鈥淭he University鈥檚 Sport Management department鈥檚 commitment to career development is unlike anything I have seen in my previous years of education,鈥� said Pantera, who had two internships including one in Yale鈥檚 Athletic Department, where he 鈥渓earned what it takes to successfully execute a game day behind the scenes, from the Ivy League volleyball tournament to the Yale vs. Harvard football game,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would not have been able to secure these opportunities without the help of all my professors and the vast alumni network of professionals currently working in the sports industry.鈥�

Meanwhile, during her time at the University, Schmidt 鈥渢raveled to Colorado to work the X Games with ESPN, went to Houston to participate in the COSMA Case Cup (where sport management students compete in a 24-hour case study competition), directed operations for the University鈥檚 volleyball team, and ran a charity home run derby with classmates as part a capstone project.

鈥淭hese experiences pushed me out of my comfort zone, encouraged me to challenge myself, and shaped me into the professional I am today,鈥� she said.

鈥楽o many milestones鈥�

By the end of the first season, the PWHL won the 2024 Sports Business Award for Sport Breakthrough of the Year.

According to the , 鈥淚n just five months since the first game was played, the PWHL set six attendance records for women鈥檚 hockey, added more than 40 corporate partners, and has more than one million social media followers.鈥� Billie Jean King, one of the league鈥檚 founders, accepted the award on behalf of the league.鈥�

鈥淭he inaugural season brought so many milestones for the PWHL,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淲e have so much left to accomplish. I truly work on a team of trailblazers and changemakers, and I could not be prouder.鈥�