The Arizona Lady Coyotes received a huge honor from the Arizona Coyotes with recognition awards for players, coaches, and team managers during Female Hockey Player Appreciation Night.

Eight girls received Player of the Month honors at the Coyotes game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 17 at Gila River Arena. In addition to the eight players, team managers Ken Chadwick and Jennifer Triant, coach Scott Squires and president Sarah Dennee received Unsung Hero awards for their commitment to the organization.

Triant initially volunteered to be a team manager to be more involved in her daughter’s hockey team.

“I didn’t do it for recognition; I believe in the organization and what they are trying to do,” Triant said. “Getting recognized by the team and the parents means a lot, but to be recognized by our association and the Arizona Coyotes was the icing on the cake.”

“The Unsung Hero award was a surprise,” said Chadwick. “Being a part of this organization is special because my daughter plays for them – I try to give back a bit of help to the girls and their families.”

Chadwick’s daughter, Karlie, was one of the recipients of the Player of the Month award.

“Karlie set a goal and had to step out of her character to do it,” Ken Chadwick said. “She wants to be recognized as a leader on the team.”

Karlie, who plays for the 16U team, was just as pleased to receive an award, saying, “It was a feeling of accomplishment when I got selected to be one of the Players of the Month. All of my hard work paid off.”

Along with Karlie, the seven other Players of the Month were Gina Gualtiere (16U), Reese Middendorf (16U), Abby Steinman (16U), Maddy Beaty (16U), Natasha Hawkins (19U), McKenna Murphy (16U) and Hailey Modlin (14U).

Middendorf was excited to be acknowledged by the NHL and hopes she can influence others in a positive way.

“It represents that you are exceeding in what you love,” Middendorf said. “When little girls look up to me, I want to be able to encourage them to be better skaters.”

Middendorf wasn’t the only teammate flattered to receive the award from her organization. Gualtiere was glad her hard work is paying dividends.

“It was absolutely amazing; I don’t know how to describe it,” Gualtiere said. “I really hope that the Lady Coyotes organization grows.”

Gualtiere’s mother, Allison, stated that Gina has flourished among an all-girl team.

“She realized if you work hard, the hard work you put in pays off,” Allison said. “The award is a proud moment for us. The Arizona Coyotes are great for supporting the female organization and girls that want to play hockey.”

“The hard work is really paying off and someone noticing the effort is awesome,” Steinman added. “It was a good way to get our name out there, let us be seen and show the boys we can do it, too.”

Steinman’s mom, Amy, credits the coaches along with the team to have the girls recognized.

“(Lady Coyotes coach and Coyotes manager of amateur hockey development) Matt Shott did an amazing job doing this all for the girls – he really supports girls hockey,” Amy Steinman said. “We would be extremely proud even if she didn’t win an award.”

Beaty was elated with her recognition.

“I give it my all every day and I want the entire team to try hard and care about the game,” Beaty said. “I would love for girls hockey to spread more throughout Arizona.”

Beaty’s mother, Betsy Callahan, was glad the Coyotes acknowledge girls hockey and the Lady Coyotes for recognizing players.

“I’m always happy to have my daughter recognized because she puts in a lot of effort into what she does,” Callahan said. “The Arizona Coyotes send a broad message that girls hockey is important and hopefully, other people will see that.”

Photos/Ken Chadwick

— Katy Wolpoff