Two Women's Hockey Players Extend Their Athletic Careers in LFL Canada

In the world of women’s hockey, there are very few competitive opportunities that exist after play at the collegiate level. Currently, there are seven professional women’s hockey franchises (two in the Western Women’s Hockey League and five in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League).

With less than 25 spots each on the Canadian and American national roster, many women are unable to continue the sport at a high level of play.  

Despite the best efforts of women’s hockey leagues to help the game grow, there are simply not as many spots in the pro game as there are in the collegiate game. With the advent of the Lingerie Football League’s Canadian division, a brand new opportunity has presented itself for women to compete in Canadian sport.

Two such athletes that have found new life in LFL Canada are two former women’s hockey players.

Donna Paul competed in Canadian Interuniversity Sport with the University of Toronto Lady Blues ice hockey program in the 1990’s. Upon graduation, Paul spent one season in professional women’s hockey. Paul played for the National Capital Raiders (based in Ottawa, Ontario) during the 1998-99 National Women’s Hockey League season.

Having won a hockey championship with the Lady Blues, Paul would love to add an LFL Canada championship. A Montessori School teacher by day, Paul is married with one child. An inspiration for working moms everywhere, Paul is the quarterback of the Toronto Triumph franchise. Having competed for the Toronto Triumph in the 2011 season, the club played games against United States based franchises in the Lingerie Football League.

Paul’s debut in the LFL came on September 17, 2011, when she threw for 34 yards and one touchdown pass in a 48-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Breeze. Although the Triumph have yet to win a game in franchise history, Paul is working tirelessly to bring championship starved fans in Toronto a title.

Kylie Rossler competed for two different programs in NCAA women’s hockey. From 2007 to 2009, Rossler was a member of the Robert Morris Colonials women’s hockey program in the College Hockey America conference.

In 2009, Rossler would transfer to CHA rival Mercyhurst and play two seasons with the Lakers. Her first goal with the Colonials came on October 27, 2007 vs. the St Cloud State Huskies, while her first Mercyhurst goal came on November 28, 2009 against the Colgate Raiders.

The highlight of her Lakers career was a season high two point performance in which she logged one goal and one assist in an overtime loss to the Cornell Big Red in the 2010 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. What made the loss more visceral was that they game was played on Mercyhurst home ice.

In 62 career games with the Robert Morris Colonials, Rossler accumulated 28 points (13 goals and 15 assists). Two seasons with Mercyhurst resulted in 60 games played and 11 points (5 goals and 6 assists), while she was part of two CHA Regular Season, and two CHA Tournament championships. She graduated from Mercyhurst with a major in Communications.

One of the most talked about rookies in LFL Canada, Rossler is quickly establishing herself as an elite running back. In two contests, she has accumulated 93 yards rushing for an impressive average of 4.7 yards per carry, complemented by two touchdowns.

The 5’6” dynamo is already a sporting legend in Regina. Rossler played for Team Saskatchewan at the 2005 National Under-18 championships, logging 6 penalty minutes in 4 games. In addition, she represented Team Saskatchewan in ice hockey at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.In junior women’s hockey, she played with the Regina Rebels and earned 43 points in her final season. During the 2006-07 Regina Rebels season, she was named their team captain.

That's exactly the type of leadership that the Rage are hoping Rossler can bring to the field.