by Joe Walsh

I had the pleasure of catching up with Catherine Faherty this week after her morning practice with the Northeast Passage (NEP) Wildcats Sled Hockey Team. Catherine was home safely after a 1:45 drive – a trip she makes each week to practice with the best players in New England, both men and women. The Wildcats include three 2022 Paralympians, two additional current men’s national team members and two women’s national team members – Faherty being one of them.

“It’s how we get better,” said Faherty of the opportunity to practice among such talent. And better she is getting. Now in her fifth year on the USA Women’s Sled Hockey National Team, she represented the USA at this summer’s World Para Ice Hockey’ inaugural Women’s World Challenge in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Team USA took home the gold medal. “It was one of the best weeks of my life,” the 17-year-old said of the experience. Spending so much time with teammates and having all the players committed to growing the game internationally were her two take-away highlights. “To have the tournament officially sanctioned by World Para Ice Hockey was really important” Faherty observed as she mapped the next steps towards inclusion of women’s sled hockey in the Paralympic Games – possibly in 2030. That’s one advantage of being young; Catherine can easily see herself playing well into the future. 

For the present, though, hockey has to fit into her busy life crowded with school, work, and, oh yeah, college applications. A high school senior, Catherine is in the middle of visiting campuses, filling out forms, and writing essays – essays on hockey of course. “My essay compares me as a person when I was first starting hockey – very nervous and insecure – with how confident I am now. And much of that is due to my playing hockey.” She actually remembers her first practice, “at Nobles & Greenough” (in Dedham). “I didn’t know any of the other kids. I didn’t know if there would be any other girls there. I didn’t know if I would like it” she shared. But she did like it, and she still does. 

The first time I saw Catherine skate was at that Nobles & Greenough rink. She was easy to pick out, her tiny body under a pink helmet. She was fearless and fierce, taking on much bigger players with no hesitation. I am sure that is how she plays today as well. But the boys need not cut her any slack. She is a veteran of the Northeast Sled Hockey League, and now a veteran of international play. At the recent NESHL tournament hosted at Merrimack, she took the ice as part of an all-female first line for the Wildcats. I didn’t get many details, but NEP won both of their games, and in the end, that’s really what counts. Catherine will go on to play the full NESHL season and hopes to play in the NHL Sled Classic on an NEP team next month. She’ll continue with her Team USA obligations and hopes that by the time the season ends, she’ll have been accepted to a nursing program of her choice.

While Catherine is very focused on hockey these days, she is a well-rounded athlete having done swimming and track with Adaptive Sports New England; skied with Maine Adaptive; and played basketball with the Ryan Martin Foundation. Having that diversity of experience is important for children – physically, psychologically and socially. It is hard to tell which sport a young athlete might find exciting, but they are all part of a lifelong adventure. In Catherine’s case, she learned lessons in each sport above and beyond technical requirements. She applies this learning not just in her hockey but in her every day life taking classes, interacting with the public in her retail job, and driving herself around town and around New England. She is also now a seasoned national and international traveler, wheeling through airports with her hockey bag in tow, a suitcase in front and a pack on her back. For certain, she leaves an impression on all who see her, and all who know her. Keep up the great work, Catherine!

Catherine invites all women and girls interested to come try sled hockey with Spaulding Adaptive Sports Centers’ celebration of World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend this Sunday, October 9 from 11:30-1:00 at Allied Veterans Memorial Rink in Everett. Pre-registration is required at sasc.spauldingrehab.org.