Angela Ruggiero ’02-’04 was supposed to have a fleeting symbolic moment on the ice as a woman playing professional men’s hockey.

She was going to make history by being the first female skater to play a position other than goalie by playing defense for the Tulsa Oilers. She was going to get to skate with her brother, and the two were to be the first such sibling pair to take the ice in a North American professional game.

And then, after one regular shift with the Oilers, it was going to be over—CHL rules restrict the amount of time on the ice that the 19th member of a roster can play.

After that first shift though, the Tulsa team and its coach, Butch Kaebel, discussed the situation with Commissioner M. Thomas Berry, Jr. With the agreement of Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees—Tulsa’s opponent for the night—Ruggiero was allowed to return to the ice in the third period.

Wearing her customary number four that she donned for Harvard, Ruggiero played for 6:33 in total, finishing plus two and registering a late-game assist.

“Towards the end of the game, the guys were pushing me to get into the action and be aggressive,” Ruggiero said. “I jumped into the play, and ended up with an assist.”

In women’s collegiate hockey—unlike in men’s—checking in any form is illegal and the rules, in general, emphasize skill over physical strength. Before Ruggiero’s appearance in the CHL, old Crimson teammates and her ex-coach knew that she could compete on a professional level with men, but they were nervous about the physical intensity of the game.

“I was worried about [Ruggiero] getting injured,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone, who recruited Ruggiero and has coached her for the last six years. “Nothing happened and she didn’t get hurt, but I was a little worried about, that as any coach would be. But by the same token, I knew she’d hold her own.”

Former teammate and current tri-captain Nicole Corriero said the question of whether Ruggiero could play with the men has been always topic of discussion.

“I always felt that if there was anyone who could do it, it would be her,” Corriero said. “But, I was unsure about how the CHL game would turn out. While I was excited, I was also nervous and worried because I was afraid she would get hurt, especially upon hearing how much rougher the CHL is compared to collegiate hockey.

“Angela is smart, she’s tough, she’s strong, and I trusted that she would be able to take care of herself.”

On the ice with the men, Ruggiero did more than take care of herself. Besides getting the assist on Jason Bermingham’s goal to help the Oilers win 7-2, she took checks and slammed opposing players into the board.

This adjustment to the physicality and pace of play in the men’s game was made easier for Ruggiero by the presence of her younger brother, Bill, on the ice. The latter Ruggiero has been Tulsa’s starting goalie for the majority of the season and has a 23-12-2 record in net.

“The hockey was physical, but not cheap,” Ruggiero said. “And it was definitely comforting to see Billy back in net.”

The Harvard Grad