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S ometimes being a goalie can feel like you're alone on an island. And being a female goalie only adds to that feeling of isolation. Stephanie Yates is out to change that. As a coach with the Anaheim Lady Ducks and a female goalie coach in chief for USA Hockey, the southern California native is creating an environment where young puckstoppers have the support network they need to succeed. "One of the things that has been awesome about my position is that we can help create that family herd and create a better culture for them," Yates said. It's all part of her willingness to pay it forward by giving other female goalies the feeling like they belong by participating in goalie clinics designed just for them. "It's been really awesome to see these clinics are really making a difference, and the feedback we've gotten has been amazing. They really needed something like this," she said. Yates grew up going to the rink watching her younger brother play. When one of the goalies didn't show up for a game, she confidently stepped forward and said she'd fill the void. "I don't know what possessed me to even say it, but I was just thinking I could do that," she said. "They pulled gear out of the closet, and threw it on me and the next thing I knew I was playing and never stopped." After competing on the first Lady Ducks team, Yates made her way to Utica College. At the conclusion of her four-year career, she stuck around to coach before taking a position with Sacred Heart University. Following a yearlong stint with the Springfield Junior Blues of the NAHL, where she worked on the business side of the game, she returned home to the southern California sunshine. During an alumni outing, one of her coaches convinced her to join the coaching ranks, and local goaltenders quickly became the beneficiary of that decision. "Being able to give them a resource is something that I didn't have when I was younger and really showing them that just because you're a female doesn't mean you can't go far with it," she said. "It's so rewarding to see the excitement and joy that they show towards the position and the game as well. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else." YATES HAPPY TO PAY IT FORWARD FOR OTHER FEMALE GOALIES APRIL 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 23 " B e i n g a b le to g i v e t h e m a r es o u r ce, w h i c h i s s o m et h i n g t h a t I d i d n ' t h av e w h e n I wa s y o u n g e r a n d r ea l ly s h o w i n g t h e m t h at j u st b eca u s e yo u ' r e a fe m a le d o es n ' t m ea n yo u ca n ' t g o fa r w i t h i t . –STEPHANIE YATES by Harry Thompson k Stephanie Yates, right, has created a community of talented goalies in Southern California.