16-year-old Antigonish native makes her mark in hockey history

From the moment 16-year-old Rhyah Stewart stepped on the ice for the Cape Breton Eagles, the crowd was behind her with every shot and every save.

“I think the crowd was pretty awesome. They were all here supporting me and the team, so that was pretty incredible,” said Stewart.

More than 2,000 fans showed up for the pre-season game to watch the Antigonish, N.S., native make history.

She became the first female ever to play for the Eagles and only the fifth in the entire Canadian Hockey League.

“Definitely there was a little bit of nerves, but once I got to feel the puck a little bit it kind of went away,” said Stewart.

Stewart stopped all 24 shots she faced in the 30 minutes of action, and when she left the game the fans were on their feet applauding her performance.

“To be honest I didn’t really notice it until I looked up on the jumbotron. It was a pretty incredible feeling knowing they were supporting me the whole game,” said Stewart.

Stewart led Nova Scotia to it’s first-ever medal at the Canada Winter Games earlier this year with the team taking silver.

She has already committed to play U.S. college hockey at the University of Wisconsin next year, so it’s unclear what this year on the ice looks like for her with the Eagles set to trim their roster this weekend.

Cape Breton Eagles goaltending and video coach, Blade Mann-Dixon, knows Stewart well. He worked with her last season with the U-18 Cape Breton West Islanders and says he wasn’t at all surprised by how well she played.

“Her game is always progressing, that’s one thing about Rhyah is she loves to learn, and she implements everything we talk about, so that’s a good trait as well,” said Mann-Dixon.

Some thought Stewart’s add to the eagles roster was a bit of a publicity stunt by the team, but those thoughts quickly vanished, after last night’s game.

“This is what the QMJHL is all about, whether you’re a girl or boy, you have the chance if you deserve it, and she does. She’s been really solid,” said Louis Robitaille, Cape Breton Eagles head coach.

Stewart says she won’t forget this experience, and owes a lot of her playing career to her family, who were in the stands cheering her on.

“My family has been so important they’ve pushed me to be better. Growing up a lot of my siblings played and relatives, so just being around hockey my whole life has definitely helped me,” she said.

When the final buzzer sounded Stewart was named the game’s first star.

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