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JULY 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 23 AS THE GROWTH of Vegas Golden Knights grass- roots programs have sky- rocketed since the puck first dropped at the start of the 2017-18 NHL season, no segment of the population has hit the jackpot quite like the number of girls who have joined in the fun. USA Hockey registration numbers show that female participation has swelled by more than 571% since the team came to town. Now, to keep that streak going, the team has part- nered with Bauer Hockey to "empower" more young females through an intro- ductory program to get them into the game. The "Empowered" pro- gram kicked off during the middle of the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup run and ran for eight weeks at the team's minor league practice facility at Lifeguard Arena in Henderson, Nev. With only 30 spots available, the program sold out quicker than an Alec Martinez slapshot as the $180 fee included ice time, trained female coaches and a free set equipment provided by Bauer. The on- and off-ice train- ing sessions are designed to introduce girls ages 5-12 to the fundamentals of the game and serve as the first step into future Learn to Play and Lil' Knights pro- grams starting in the fall. "We're obviously very big on girls' hockey and so is Bauer. This aligns with Bauer's campaign, 'Everything for the Girls,' so it's been a great partner- ship," said Sheri Hudspeth, the Golden Knights director of girls & women youth hockey programming. Helping with the launch of the program was U.S. Olympian Megan Keller, who greeted families at the equipment fitting session before jumping on the ice with the girls. The program is just part of the Golden Knights' overall cam- paign to welcome more girls into the game. "We've been working hard to create a lot of really cool events to increase vis- ibility and awareness that girls do play hockey and to get more girls out onto the ice here," Hudspeth said. –Harry Thompson Bauer Teams Up With Golden Knights To Empower Local Girls Megan Keller of the U.S. Women's National Team made a guest appearance during the Golden Knights "Empowered" program in parternship with Bauer Hockey. DOUBLING DOWN ON GROWTH JULY 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 23