Ever since she watched the 2022 Winter Olympics on television, Amanda Winkelmann felt gripped “at the cellular level” to get on the ice. Writer: Brianne Sanchez Photographer: Janae Gray Broadcasts of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing awakened an unexpected ache in Amanda Winkelmann. Watching a thletes glide through the games, the petite brunette felt gripped “at the cellular level” by a desire to get on the ice. Such a visceral response surprised her. She didn’t grow up figure skating. She’d barely held a hockey stick. She’d hardly spent any time in a rink. But when the unshakable “full body feeling” didn’t fade, she gave herself a goal. “I said, ‘I want to play adult hockey, I want to play in a summer league, and I want to play well,’” she recalled. “And it happened.” Winkelmann’s interest in hockey tracks with a larger trend. USA Hockey recorded a 5% jump in female participation in the 2024-2025 season. The Professional Women’s Hockey League also continues to expand, stretching from six to eight teams in the 2025-26 season. As more women at every level take up a sport traditionally dominated by men, they’re each playing for their own reasons. In Des Moines, players are picking up hockey sticks as a fun way to stay fit, make new friends, connect with family members, or claim time for themselves. Some also see the sport as a healthy outlet for their rage during tumultuous times. During a recent scrimmage, Winkelmann carried herself with freshly earned confidence. She sported a pink and black jersey for the Regal Beagles, one of Central Iowa’s two all-women hockey teams. Before moving from Denver to Des Moines this past March, she had never been in a locker room with other hockey players. “I still felt like I was learning how to lace up my skates quickly,” she said. “I was terrified to go make a fool of myself.” Back in Denver, Winkelmann started attending open skating sessions to prepare herself for team play. Then, she signed up for group lessons. Next came early morning private coaching on hockey basics. Stressed by small business ownership and neighborhood crime, she welcomed the focused intensity of her workouts. The sport provided an outlet for her emotions and, later, a shortcut to friendships. “It was the first time in so long that I was doing something for me,” she said. That’s why, when she and her husband started plotting a move back to the Midwest, a strong women’s hockey scene ranked toward the top of their relocation wish list. Des Moines clinched it when she connected with two groups online: Des Moines Women’s Hockey and Mid-Iowa Beginners (MIB Hockey), a co-ed novice league. “I’m the kind of person who is willing to share in a Facebook group, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about coming, but I’m a total beginner,’” she said. “Right away, five or six women were like, ‘You’ve got to come.’ Everyone was so welcoming.” The couple found their dream house in Beaverdale, and within weeks of unpacking, Winkelmann joined her first MIB Hockey summer league. That same season, Winkelmann’s co-ed team, the Aggressive Goldfish, took home the championship cup. They triumphed over the Anxiety Rats playing alongside teams with names like the Trash Pandas and Warbirds. In the growing women’s league, the Aquanets and Regal Beagles recently joined forces to build Mother Shuckers, a combined travel team. At a Saturday morning “wakey wakey” practice game at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, Winkelmann and more than a dozen other women gathered to strengthen their hockey skills. The atmosphere was competitive but collegial, with players’ husbands, boyfriends and brothers serving as officials. The intensity is evident, but women don’t go “at the boards” with each other. Instead, they’re promoting a beginner-friendly culture with in-the-moment affirmations that help everyone improve. From their late teens into their 60s, rec league members span a variety of backgrounds. Some grew up around hockey, while others discovered it by chance — watching their kids play, chatting at the bar, talking with clients or even eavesdropping at the Pure Hockey store in Urbandale. In their lives outside the rink, they are students, stay-at-home moms, health care workers, marketing professionals, and more. To each, their time on the ice is precious. For some, it’s long overdue. As one new player put it: “I’m from Minnesota. My mom said, ‘Girls don’t play hockey.’ So you know what? I’m manifesting my dream. It’s never too late.” Colleen Boyer Colleen Boyer grew up playing street hockey with her brothers in Michigan. A stay-at-home mom of three, she picked up ice hockey two years ago, after recovering from a broken leg and foot. RECLAIMING “ME” TIME “As a mom, I’m constantly thinking about what my family needs. [The rink] is the only place you can really get out and forget everything else. You can’t think outside of what’s going on [in the game], otherwise you go down.” Cadence Mulhern Cadence Mulhern, who scored a hat trick during the scrimmage, skates with speed and agility. Now a nursing student at Mercy College of Health Sciences, she was one of two girls to join the Des Moines High School Hockey League. Playing among women — some more than twice her age — is a change of pace. TAKING THEIR TURN “A lot of these women thought they could never play hockey. And now, in their adult age, they’re getting into it. Coming from playing high school boys, this [league] definitely has more of a sense of community because of how hard we have to work to get attention, to get ice time.” Lisa Schumacher Twenty years ago, Lisa Schumacher overheard someone in the stands at a Des Moines Buccaneers game mention registering for the team’s rec league. She became one of only two women among eight teams and is encouraged by the local hockey scene’s evolution. GROWING REC OPPORTUNITIES “Before, it was just like, ‘If you want to play hockey, get your stuff and bring a jersey.’ Now, there are more rec leagues, split by skills. Women have multiple teams. We get team jerseys and we do a little bit of traveling. The camaraderie and friendships have definitely increased, too.” Jessica and Emily Merk According to Jessica Merk, hockey gear has completely taken over her family’s basement. A veterinarian by day, she donned her teenage daughter Emily’s hand-me-down pads to take her turn on the ice. Jessica’s son, Tony, helps coach. MID-LIFE REINVENTION “I’m absolutely exhausted every single time I play. But this has just been wonderful. When you get into your 50s, it’s harder to meet people. You do something like this, and all of a sudden, your world just opens up.” Saturday morning scrimmages at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines are competitive but collegial. ...read more read less