Female goalie Mariah Fujimagari earns first-ever win with Canucks' affiliate
History was made in Kalamazoo last night, and there’s a Vancouver Canucks connection.
Goalie Mariah Fujimagari won her first-ever game for the Kalamazoo Wings, the Canucks’ ECHL affiliate. She is the first-ever woman to be rostered by the Wings, as well as the first to record a victory for the franchise.
While there have been other women to play goalie at the ECHL level in the past, it’s been quite some time since someone accomplished the feat. Erin Whitten played in four games with the Toledo Storm during the 1993-94 season, posting a 2-0 record. During that same year, Canadian Manon RhĆ©aume played eight regular season games. She also appeared in one more game during the following season.
Fujimagari was put into last night’s preseason game against the Toledo Walleye during the third period, where she made nine saves to help push the game to overtime. She stopped all five shots faced in overtime, keeping the Wings alive long enough for teammate Erik Bradford to score the winner.
ICYMI: Mariah @Fujimagoalie became the 1st woman in K-Wings franchise history to pick up a win between the pipes in the preseason! And the team's love is incredible!
PLEASE start Sunday off with a hug like Erik Bradford's for Mariah Fujimagari.#ForTheGals #BeatByWoman #OTdub pic.twitter.com/tyLJpmwGcW
— Kalamazoo Wings (@KalamazooWings) October 15, 2023
Right after the Wings scored the game-winning goal, Bradford and several other players rushed to swarm Fujimagari and celebrate her victory. Fujimagari was awarded the third star of the game for her performance in the overtime win over the Walleye.
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Fujimagari was invited to play for the Wings on a pro tryout contract this preseason. The regular season starts for the Wings next week on October 21.
Last season, Fujimagari played for AIK in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), appearing in 14 regular season games. In the past, she’s played for professional women’s hockey teams in North America such as the Connecticut Whale and Buffalo Beauts.
The Wings and Canucks renewed their affiliate agreement just prior to this season. The two organizations have had an on-and-off relationship for about 40 years now as they were first connected in 1984. Since then, Darren Archibald and Alexandre Grenier are just two examples of players who have managed to make their way from the Wings to the Canucks.
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