Michigan’s Abby Roque made history in professional women’s hockey on Saturday.
Sault Ste. Marie native Roque scored the first lacrosse-style “Michigan” goal in the New York Sirens’ 5-2 loss against the Ottawa Charge in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) game at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“Honestly, there was a lot around the net and I just I knew I had time behind the net to pick it up, I thought I may as well,” Roque said.
“It’s something that has become a joke and we say every day when I come to the rink: ‘Michigan today.’
“I don’t actually mean it, but the opportunity presented itself, so I had to try.”
Roque joins a short list of male or female hockey players who scored “The Michigan,” which came into prominence after Mike Legg of the University of Michigan used the fabled trick shot in an NCAA regional semifinal against Minnesota in 1996.
Roque, the first Indigenous player on Team USA’s hockey roster at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, was named the third star in Saturday’s game.
She has six goals and 10 assists in 25 games this season, including an assist in New York’s 4-1 win over Minnesota at Little Caesars Arena last Sunday.
The game drew 14,288 fans, setting an attendance record for a pro women’s hockey game in the United States.
