Liberties are developing girls hockey with a sense of community: ‘You just gain 20 sisters’

When 11-year-old Ava Mema walked into a Philadelphia Liberties locker room for the first time, she was immediately welcomed by friendly faces.

The Liberties, an all-girls youth hockey organization based out of the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, provides players of all ages and abilities the opportunity to develop their hockey skills across their two teams: Liberties Orange and Liberties Black.

Walking into a new environment for the first time can be an intimidating experience for anyone. But for Ava, a current forward on Liberties Orange, it stands out as one of her fondest memories with the program.

“Nobody looked at me like I was weird,” Ava said. “They all said hi, and went over to me.”

During the third annual Liberties Invitational last weekend, Liberties players stood in the hallways of the Flyers practice facility sharing their experiences with the organization and girls hockey in general. The club, which is divided into the two teams based on age and skill level, has girls on its roster ranging from ages 11 to 18. But the sense of community transcends age differences.

“You just gain 20 sisters, just right off the bat,” said Gia Meloni, a 16-year-old winger on Liberties Black. “Just every day I’m at school and I can’t wait to get to hockey; I can’t wait to see everybody.”

Over the past three years, the Liberties Invitational has grown into a staple girls hockey event in the region. This month, the tournament welcomed 24 teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It marked an increase from 14 teams in 2024 and seven in its inaugural iteration.

Jules Caporale, a 17-year-old forward on Liberties Black, said she started playing hockey during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the five years since, she has noticed developments in girls hockey locally.

“It’s so uplifting to see so many younger girls getting into it and seeing the sport grow as you are going through it,” she said. “I’m reaching college, and I’m reaching the point where I’m not going to play youth hockey anymore. And seeing the younger kids have so much passion for it, and they want to do it so bad, it makes me so happy.”

The Flyers organization has been a key driver behind girls hockey in the area, regularly sponsoring initiatives to help expand access. The Flyers recently announced their inaugural Girls Try Hockey for Free clinic set for March, aimed at players age 5 to 12. Equipment is provided for participants because that expense can be an obstacle for girls trying out the sport.

On a national scale, the six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League is in its second season and has been continuously breaking attendance records. A few weeks ago, several members of the Liberties took a trip to a PWHL game at the Prudential Center, in Newark, N.J., between the New York Sirens and the Ottawa Charge.

“What really impressed me about that was the way that they were passing,” said defenseman Taylor Champagne, 13. “They were using both sides of the ice.”

There’s some hope that a PWHL Philadelphia expansion team could be on its way soon — the league has announced that it could add two franchises in the 2025-26 season. But even if Philadelphia isn’t one of the first in line, the increased profile of the game is already making a tangible difference.

Fourteen-year-old Aurelia Mattera is a defenseman on Liberties Black. Her dad played hockey growing up, and he put her on skates early on. She initially tried figure skating, because she thought that was the normal path for girls. But one day after a lesson, she caught a glimpse of a girls hockey team practicing at the rink.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I want to do that. That sounds so cool,’” she said. “And now, seeing how the PWHL has become a thing, it’s so cool for the little girls who are now starting to see that’s something they can look forward to.”

On the first day of the tournament, Liberties Orange secured a 4-2 victory over the Lady Patriots, a team from Bucks/Montgomery County. About an hour later, Liberties Black celebrated its own victory, 7-1, over the Northern Virginia Ice Dogs.

In the Liberties Black postgame locker room, coach Linda Rehmann asked everyone to raise their hands if they had a good time. Every hand shot up in the air.

“Honestly, this sounds kind of dramatic,” said 14-year old defenseman Cece Benn. “But I don’t know what I would do without everyone.”

Both Liberties Orange and Black advanced to the championships in their respective divisions last Sunday, and Team Black went on to beat 16U Snider Hockey. In doing so, the Liberties brought home the first banner in the history of the program, four years after it all began in 2021.

The season isn’t over yet. The Liberties have a trip to Nashville in February, which will be an opportunity for the players to face competition from other regions. In years past, they have also skated on the outdoor rink on the White House’s south lawn and taken in an NCAA hockey game on a visit to Cornell, Rehmann’s alma mater and former team.

“A lot of my mom’s friends and my friends’ moms have all told me, ‘You’re so lucky you can play hockey. I really wanted to, I never could,’” Cece said. “And I just realized how great of an opportunity I have, how great now everyone has an opportunity to play.”