GILBERT, AZ — The Matt Shott Memorial Girls Hockey Tournament kicked off today at AZ ICE in Gilbert. It drew dozens of teams from across the country to honor the Arizona Coyotes' former Director of Player Development.
“His passion for the game and growing it here in the desert was just infectious,” said former Olympic hockey player and President of the Arizona Kachinas Lyndsey Fry.
Shott played an instrumental role in bringing girls hockey to the Valley after noticing a major lack of options when he began working for the Coyotes.
In 2019, alongside Fry, he founded the Arizona Kachinas, a competitive hockey program to give girls a chance to develop and test their skills. What began small, has now grown to 16 teams and 350 players at all age levels.
“He wanted woman hockey to be accessible in Arizona, he wanted female players to be seen, to be able to play and to be able to compete,” said Olivia Davis, a player for the Kachinas 19U team.
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Shott passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer at just 34 years old. His legacy however lives on through the incredible turnout on the ice this weekend where all in attendance will honor a person who preferred to be out of the spotlight but deserved it nonetheless.
“The hardest part is Matt’s not here to see it,” said Fry.
For tournament scheduling and information, click here.