New women’s hockey exhibit at Lawshe Museum

New women’s hockey exhibit at Lawshe Museum
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | December 2025

South St. Paul Secondary girls hockey teams have hoisted up many golden trophies since the first state tournament in 1995. However, their success stands on the shoulders of countless Minnesota women who could only dream of a day when girls would have that opportunity, and who took great strides to make it a reality for later generations. Lawshe Museum recently unveiled a new exhibit celebrating the history and growth of women’s hockey in Minnesota over the past century and beyond. Aptly named, “A Dream of the Future: 125 Years of Women’s Hockey in Minnesota,” it will be on display at least through the end of December before being boxed up and traveling to arenas and other museums around the city, county and state. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are requested.

Located in the museum’s Great Hall, the exhibit is arranged in the oval shape of a hockey rink and features an array of artifacts including a women’s hockey stick from 1915, items from the University of Minnesota’s first women’s hockey club dating to the 1930s, and memorabilia from U.S. women’s hockey Olympians. The sport debuted in the Olympics in 1998, with the U.S. team winning gold. There’s ample information about milestones in women’s hockey history, such as the boom of youth girls leagues in the 1970s and the founding of the state’s professional women’s hockey team, the Minnesota Frost (formerly Minnesota Whitecaps), in 2004.

The Dakota County Historical Society, which operates the museum, originally planned simply to make a social media post highlighting the history of women’s hockey in the state but the more staff researched it, the more they realized the topic was worthy of a full exhibit. In addition to the exhibit, a 100-page publication on the topic is expected to be unveiled by the end of December. Historical Society members will automatically receive a copy. It will also be available at the museum’s gift shop and online.

Dakota County Historical Society Executive Director Matthew Carter said additional artifacts such as the puck used in the state’s first collegiate match (University of Minnesota versus Augsburg University) have been submitted by former players and that they are exploring how to incorporate those items into the exhibit. They’re even considering making a second entire exhibit to display when the first is traveling.

“It’s such a unique history that really hasn’t been presented anywhere else,” said Carter. “All those people spent time sharing their story and now sharing literally some of their own personal belongings as part of this, and we want to make sure everyone gets a chance to see it [the exhibit].”

Women, no doubt, have been playing hockey for longer than 125 years but that’s when verified accounts of organized leagues began surfacing in newspapers and other places. Carter himself recalled girls playing on his boys hockey team when he was growing up in Wisconsin. It was common for his school at the time and was the only option for girls who wanted to play.

“Not every team was willing to do that,” he noted. “I think that’s one of those impactful pieces that didn’t necessarily make it on a timeline [in the exhibit].”

The girls hockey season at South St. Paul Secondary is underway and a good chance to show your support is at the 30th annual Kaposia Classic, held at Doug Woog arena Dec. 31-Jan. 2, 2026. Other upcoming games at Doug Woog Arena are:
• 5 p.m., Sat., Dec. 13 vs. Owatonna
• 6:30 p.m., Fri., Dec 19 vs. Two Rivers
• 6:30 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 4 vs. White Bear Lake
• 6:30 p.m., Tues., Dec. 9 vs. Westonka