Michigan Senior Women'S Hockey League

The Michigan Senior Women’s Hockey League began in the early 1990's as the "Metro Skaters Hockey League" with only five teams: Polar Bears (Inkster), Ice Pack (Melvindale), Steel Magnolias (Ann Arbor), Team Michigan (Fraser), and Terminators (Howell). Currently, the League has grown to 41 teams divided into six divisions of advanced, intermediate, and recreational levels. Women ranging in age from 18 to 70 years-old currently play in the league. Team home ices range geographically from the western suburbs of Ann Arbor to the eastern Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, and from the north in Rochester to the Downriver area of Trenton. Almost 800 women participate in the one of the largest senior women’s leagues in the country. The purpose of this League is to encourage and improve the standard of ice hockey for women in the State of Michigan, to develop and encourage sportsmanship among all players for the betterment of their physical and social well-being, and to conduct an organized league wherein women may learn and enjoy safe, recreational, and competitive ice hockey. The MSWHL is a member of MAHA and USA Hockey. The season begins September 1, with each team playing approximately 20-25 games from October through March and concluding with the annual “Ruicci Cup” hockey playoff weekend.