Kaitlyn Kupiec
Head Coach Lisa Marshall talks with a young skater on the bench during warm-ups at the 2024 Skate for Her game.
Skate for Her has become one of Berkshire’s defining traditions, not because of the scoreboard, but because of the purpose behind it.
This weekend, Berkshire’s Girls Varsity Hockey team will carry that purpose forward through months of planning and the shared commitment of a senior class.
For the Bears, the reveal of their chosen charitable cause and the jerseys they designed will kick off Berkshire’s sixth annual Skate for Her game, a home event that has become a defining tradition for the girls hockey program. It is one of the school’s most meaningful athletic events, celebrated for its purpose and the impact it has on the community.
Skate for Her began in 2019 during Head Coach Lisa Marshall’s second year at Berkshire. Inspired by a mentor’s philosophy and a growing national conversation about inequities in women’s sports, Marshall was struck by a statistic: in 2014, only 3.2% of national sports media coverage depicted female athletes—a gap she hoped to address in her own community.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring awareness here and support female athletics and women more broadly,” Marshall said. “I was lucky to have immediate support from Pieter Mulder, our head of school, and Dan Driscoll, our director of athletics, who has been coaching alongside me; we just entered our second season together. They really helped bring the idea to life from the start.”
The spirit of the game is rooted in a quote by Mia Hamm that Marshall keeps close:
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become, and the hours of practice, and the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.”
To Marshall, that little girl still guides her work.
“I grew up playing boys’ hockey until boarding school,” Marshall said. “A huge part of why I coach is to leave the game in a better place than I found it. There are far more girls playing right now, and I want them to see role models and to see what’s possible.”
Each year, Berkshire’s seniors select the organization the game will support, giving them both ownership and responsibility.
Maddy McCready, along with her fellow seniors, played a key role in selecting a charitable cause and designing this year's jerseys.
“It’s important for them to be proud of what they’re standing for,” Marshall said. “Watching them collaborate and decide what matters to them has been one of the most powerful parts of this tradition.”
This year, the seniors chose Do It For Daron (DIFD), a mental-health initiative created in memory of 14-year-old Daron Richardson, who died by suicide in 2010. Founded by her family, including former NHL player Luke Richardson, DIFD supports mental-health education for young athletes and encourages open conversations about well-being.
Senior Maddy McCready, part of the group that brought DIFD to the table, said the organization’s mission resonated deeply.
“Mental health in athletes, especially nowadays, is such a big thing,” McCready said. “Daron grew up playing hockey, and this organization is supported by a lot of other teams, including Cornell and RIT. Not everyone is going to feel like they can openly talk about mental health right away, but every single time it comes up in conversation, people feel more comfortable with it. I think this little piece is going to help with our team.”
The tradition of the seniors designing the game jerseys has become one of the most anticipated parts of Skate for Her. The design is kept secret from the rest of the team until game day, when the players walk into the locker room for the big reveal.
“It was really fun, but definitely stressful,” McCready laughed. “There are so many pieces to it, and we just wanted to make sure they look really good.”
The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going directly to DIFD.
Even before the team steps onto the ice for warm-ups, Saturday’s game is already making an impact. Young female skaters from the Berkshire Rattlers Youth Hockey program and the surrounding community are invited into the locker room, paired with varsity players, and welcomed onto the ice. For some, including younger sisters of current Bears, this will be their first close-up experience of hockey at the prep level.
Members of Girls Varsity Hockey high-five young skaters in the locker room before the 2024 Skate for Her game.
“There are kids from all over,” Marshall said. “One of our current players actually skated in the very first Skate for Her game when she was little. That full-circle moment is what this is all about.”
At the end of warm-ups, the little girls kick the boards and cheer. “Just seeing that joy and seeing our players recognize the impact they’re having is incredible,” Marshall said. “It never gets old.”
McCready feels that impact too, remembering the young player she once was.
“When I see the little girls come in, I remember being their age and looking up to older players," McCready said. “I hope they watch us and realize how far they can go.”
When the puck drops on Saturday, the Bears will be skating for more than a win. They will be skating for Daron, for the little girls lining the tunnel, for each other, and for the younger versions of themselves who first stepped onto the ice simply because they loved the game.
“It’s a microcosm of what Berkshire is all about,” Marshall said. “Being part of something bigger, giving back, and supporting one another. Every year, it grows, and every year, it means more.”
Berkshire will face Lawrenceville School at home, with puck drop at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13. The game will also be livestreamed at www.berkshireschool.org/athletics/livestream.