"I didn't prove anyone wrong. I proved myself wrong."

Alaina Giampietro joined Robert Morris University in 2023 as part of a newly reinstated program, but her journey in the game started much earlier at her grandfather's local rink in Ohio. Now, as the captain of the Colonials, she is balancing the weight of Division I hockey with the responsibility of building a team culture from the ground up.

On Episode 119 of Rinkside Rundown, Alaina shares:

• The Ohio Origins: How early mornings skating with her grandfather laid the foundation for her career.
• The Rebuild Reality: What it actually takes to establish a culture and a legacy in a program’s first years back on the ice.
• The "Prove Myself Right" Mindset: How shifting from external validation to internal growth changed her development as a player and leader.
• The Impact Beyond the Scoreboard: Why leaving the program better than she found it is her ultimate goal at RMU.

Join the community: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and follow along on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes coverage of women’s hockey: https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Episode 118 of Rinkside Rundown continues the “Road to the PWHL Draft” series with Union College defender and captain Stephanie Bourque.

A native of Moncton, New Brunswick, Bourque has built a standout NCAA career defined by consistency, durability, and production. She became Union’s all-time leader in points and assists among defenders and set an ironwoman streak, appearing in over 140 consecutive games. This season, she was also among the most utilized players in NCAA women’s hockey, averaging more than 28 minutes per game.

In this episode, Bourque reflects on her journey through junior hockey and the NCAA, her development as a leader, and how she’s preparing for the next step as she looks toward the 2026 PWHL Draft.

“Trust the process and be patient.”

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca
Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Tory Mariano grew up in a household where sport was everything. Her dad took her to events across every discipline imaginable, and where she started in tee-ball, competed in multiple sports, and carries all of that athletic foundation into the way she reads the game today.

And it was her grandfather, a professional tennis player and someone she never got to meet, who has been a role model and North Star through it all. "I want to be as good as him," she said.

That drive led her to Northeastern, where she found the right coaching staff and the right environment to help push her to become the player she always knew she was. "Everything just kind of clicked. This is where I need to be."

In Episode 117 of Rinkside Rundown, Tory shares that journey from where it all started to being on the cusp of the 2026 PWHL Draft. She talks about her first championship team in 8th grade, how competing across multiple sports shaped her hockey IQ, what drew her to Northeastern, what her year of focused preparation actually looked like, and what she wants a PWHL team to know about her before draft day.

"Everything that I've done, I feel like it's starting to pay off. I'm proud of myself, and it's been hard, but I'm glad to see where I am now."

This is the first episode in my "Road to the 2026 PWHL Draft" series, so be sure to subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey. Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca
Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Some players choose a program for the ranking. Béatrice Bilodeau chose Ottawa because it felt like home.

The Gee-Gees captain grew up in Quebec's hockey culture, played on boys' teams until she was 12, and developed through one of the province's most competitive junior pathways before making a deliberate decision to come to uOttawa. Not for the profile. For the fit.

In this episode, we get into what shaped her as a player, what leadership looks like from the inside, and how she carries that same commitment into her community work with youth programs, mentorship, and seniors in long-term care, which culminated in being awarded the Marion Hilliard Award in earlier this month.

Subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey.

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca
Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Molly Jordan is a defender at the University of Minnesota and one of the most compelling young players in the NCAA women's game.

Mature, humble, and deeply passionate about the sport and her community, the native of Berlin, Connecticut brings a perspective that goes well beyond the ice.

In Episode 115 of Rinkside Rundown, Molly talks about what it has been like to grow as a player and a person at one of the most competitive programs in college hockey, what it means to represent the United States on the international stage, and why she believes the American program is on a different level right now.

Subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey.

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca
Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Wyoming isn't exactly a hotbed for women's hockey, but for Haley Box, it's where the love for the game started. The Etobicoke Dolphins forward and incoming University of Wisconsin Badger joins Rinkside Rundown to talk about the journey that brought her from Cheyenne to one of the most storied programs in the sport.

Haley reflects on what it meant to represent Team USA, the Nashville camp that shifted the trajectory of her career, and the role the Etobicoke Dolphins have played in her development. She also opens up about the mental side of the game and what the continued rise of the PWHL means to her as a player with professional aspirations.

Subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey.

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca

Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

She started on outdoor rinks, and now she's one of the most exciting forwards at Penn State. In Episode 113 of Rinkside Rundown, host Chris Sinclair sits down with Grace Outwater for a conversation that covers everything from the grind of being a student athlete to the moments in her career that shaped who she is as a player and a person.

Grace talks about the coaches and mentors who believed in her, what it meant to play in an outdoor game, how she stays locked in on and off the ice, and why the rise of the PWHL has her genuinely fired up about the future of women's hockey.

Subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey.

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca

Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

Five years ago, Kao Lawrie asked a simple question. Were there others like them in hockey?

As a trans non-binary player, Kao rarely saw people who shared their experience in the sport. That realization led them to create This Tournament Has Everything, an inclusive hockey weekend on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia for women, trans, two-spirit, and non-binary players.

What began as a small, community-driven tournament has since grown into an event that now brings together more than 120 players from across North America and beyond.

In this episode of Rinkside Rundown, Kao shares their hockey journey, the experiences that shaped their perspective, and how one idea helped create a space where players can feel seen, safe, and welcomed in the sport.

With this year’s tournament taking place March 6–8, 2026, this conversation highlights the impact of grassroots efforts and the importance of community in hockey.

Subscribe to Rinkside Rundown for more conversations with players and leaders shaping the future of hockey.

Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca

Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod

This Tournament Has Everything

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tthehockeytournament/

Email: tthehockeytournament@gmail.com

Website: https://tthe2025.mailchimpsites.com/