Kelsey Koelzer, first Black woman NCAA hockey head coach, 'has the fire to be the best'

HORSHAM, Pa. — The crystallization came at a Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport gate not long after one of the finest individual moments of Kelsey Koelzer’s hockey career.

Koelzer, playing in her first National Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game on Feb. 11, 2018, scored four goals and was named the game’s co-MVP. Awaiting a flight back to her native Pennsylvania, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick scrolled Twitter when one notification in particular caught her attention. It was from a parent who wrote that their mixed-race daughter saw Koelzer playing in the game, and had quickly decided she wanted to take up the sport.

The former Princeton Tiger responded, and her encouragement garnered thousands of retweets. Her representation mattered. It made a difference, at least in one life.