Two Former Players Hope To Inspire Girls At Unexpected Homecoming

RICHMOND (WJON News) -- A scheduling conflict has turned into a homecoming game for two former River Lakes Stars' players.  Minnesota State University – Mankato Women’s Hockey team will play a home game on Saturday at the River Lakes Civic Arena in Richmond.

The team needed a venue for their exhibition game against the University of Manitoba when Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center booked the band Foreigner for the same date. The Mavericks Head Coach Shari Dickerman graduated from Rocori in 2000 and says it will be fun to come back to the rink she helped build:

“Yeah, this will definitely be a first for me to roll into Richmond where I helped build the rink back when I was in high school and waiting for us to have an indoor facility so it will be kind of a full circle moment for sure.”

Dickerman literally and figuratively helped build the River Lakes Arena. Her parents' company built the building and she worked on it for them as it was going up, and she was on one of the first teams to play in it.  She says she is interested to see all the changes to the arena since she last played there:

“It’s been a little while since I’ve played a game in the rink. It’s obviously had a couple of renovations, I know they put in new boards and glass and scoreboard and everything but it will be a little different to be playing in a small facility like that but it should be a lot of fun.”

The game is also special for Junior Defenseman Kianna Roeske who graduated from Paynesville in 2022. Roske says she is excited to come home and hopefully inspire young girls to reach for the stars:

“I’ve even spoken with a lot of the younger girls too and it’s like it is possible to do, we are kind of like from the middle of nowhere, and Shari’s even shown me too for her she’s grown up in River Lakes and played at Mankato, played on a couple of national teams so that is always so inspiring, and I hope that I can be that to the younger girls still at River Lakes.”

She says it was funny how she found out about the team playing the game in Richmond:

“I found out from my little sister, Payton, who is an 8^th grader who plays for River Lakes, and when she told me  I was just like no you’re joking, that’s not true, why would my college team play at the small little rink in Richmond and she’s like no seriously go ask dad.”

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Both Dickerman and Roske say they are excited to be able to come back and play a game in Richmond in front of friends and family.  The Mavericks will take on the University of Manitoba Bison at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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