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Alex Cooper Claims Sexual Harassment By Soccer Coach In New Hulu Documentary

Podcast giant Alex Cooper, a top soccer player in high school who went to Boston University on a full scholarship, described what she claimed was three years of escalating sexual harassment by her coach there, Nancy Feldman, that she said ended with her leaving the team senior year. The allegations were met with audible gasps […]

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Alex Cooper Claims Sexual Harassment By Soccer Coach In New Hulu Documentary

Podcast giant Alex Cooper, a top soccer player in high school who went to Boston University on a full scholarship, described what she claimed was three years of escalating sexual harassment by her coach there, Nancy Feldman, that she said ended with her leaving the team senior year.

The allegations were met with audible gasps in the audience at the end part 1 of a new Hulu documentary series Call Her Alex, which just premiered at the Tribeca Festival. In a Q&A after, Cooper said it took her ten years to come forward, which she did in large part because of the documentary, a behind the scenes look at the first live show of her hit podcast Call Her Daddy. The first leg was in Boston. Director Ry Russo-Young asked her to walk out on the BU soccer field and reflect on what it meant to her.

“And the minute I stepped back on the field, I felt so small. I felt just like I was 18 years old again. And I was in a situation with someone in a position of power who abused their power. And I felt like I wasn’t the Call Her Daddy girl. I wasn’t someone who had money and influence or whatever it be. I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever and took away the thing I loved the most,” she said during a Q&A after.

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She chose to go public to help herself heal and because she claims it is still an issue at the college.

Feldman retired in 2022. University officials who Cooper claims brushed off her allegations are still there, she said. In the doc, she alleges the officials asked her, “What do you want?” but that said they were not going to fire Feldman, did not investigate, but said she could keep her full soccer scholarship.

Deadline has reached out to Boston University for comment.

“During the filming of this documentary, I found out that the harassment and abuse of power is still happening on the campus of Boston University, and I spoke to one of the victims, and hearing her story was horrific, and I knew in that moment, if I don’t speak about this. It’s going to continue happening,” Cooper claimed.

“I’m thinking about the amount of women who’ve probably experienced this, not just on that campus, but on a larger scale in the workplace. This isn’t just happening on college campuses for soccer. This is everywhere. This is systemic. And so I knew it was time to speak about it, and I was terrified, and I’m still terrified. I’m shaking. I feel like I’m a decent public speaker at this point, but I’m scared,” she said.

It also pained Cooper that her that her alleged harasser was a woman, she said.

In the documentary, she claims a pattern that started sophomore year in earnest as the coach focused increasingly on her personally, not on her playing, with questions and comments about her body and her romantic life. She alleged Feldman would try to get her alone, put a hand on her thigh, stare at her, and once asked if she had had sex the previous night.

“It was this psychotic game of ‘You want to play, tell me about your sex life’,” Cooper said in the doc. When she tried to resist, she claimed, Feldman threatened “consequences.” She accused the coach of retaliating on the field by benching her often, including for most of a key championship game, to the confusion of her teammates.

Hulu release a trailer last week. It launches June 10.

Cooper has alluded to a college trauma in the past.

She initially launched the advice and comedy podcast Call Her Daddy in 2018, alongside her then co-host Sofia Franklyn, with Barstool Sports before signing a deal, thought to be worth around $60 million, with Spotify in 2021. The show exploded with women and became second only to The Joe Rogan Experience on the podcast charts before she moved to SiriusXM last year in a deal valued around $120 million.

“I think a lot of this process almost made me realize, if I have the finances to pay for a lawyer and I have the resources to do all these things, how is another woman going to feel comfortable to come forward? I’m still f–king scared up here, you know. And I was nobody when I was in college. I did come forward. I was denied, essentially. And so the story is frustrating, because I want to tell women come forward … But I did, and I wasn’t believed, and then it took me a decade, Cooper said tonight.

“I actually think this is just the beginning. It’s really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it’s so built against us as women, and we have to fight so fucking hard to have our voices heard, and we are denied, or we’re questioned, or you feel shame, and that started to really get in my head of, how am I about to not put this in the documentary? …  I realized, holy shit, I have so much more work to do, and I’m going to use my platform to hopefully inspire other people to come forward and tell their stories, because conversation is the only way that we’re going to actually have change and we’re going to make change.”

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SCSU’s Emma Gentry, Dayle Ross, Sanni Ahola and Brian Idalski in PWHL

SAINT CLOUD — Four former St. Cloud State Huskies will be making the jump this season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.  Last week, coach Brian Idalski was named the first-ever manager of the Vancouver expansion team a day before forward Emma Gentry, defender Dayle Ross and goaltender Sanni Ahola were selected in the PWHL draft.   […]

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SAINT CLOUD — Four former St. Cloud State Huskies will be making the jump this season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. 

Last week, coach Brian Idalski was named the first-ever manager of the Vancouver expansion team a day before forward Emma Gentry, defender Dayle Ross and goaltender Sanni Ahola were selected in the PWHL draft.  

Taken by the Toronto Scepters on June 24 with the 11th overall pick, Gentry is the highest-drafted Husky in the PWHL’s three-year history. Ross was picked 25th by the New York Sirens, and Ahola was selected by the Ottawa Charge with the 37th overall pick. Forward Klára Hymlárová is the first former Husky to play professionally in the PWHL. She was taken 15th by the Minnesota Frost in 2024 and played 29 games for the club last winter. 

“I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to join an organization and city like Vancouver and want to thank (Vancouver GM) Cara (Gardner Morey) and the league for their trust and belief in me,” Idalski said in a release from the PWHL. “The PWHL has had a huge impact on the global game, and to be a part of that — with expansion helping push it even further forward — is an unbelievable feeling.” 

The original six PWHL teams — including the Boston Fleet and Montreal Victoire — played their first season in 2023-24. Vancouver and Seattle are joining the league for the 2025-2026 season. 

Former SCSU assistant coach, Mira Jalosuo, will be taking over the helm at SCSU. The Finland native is a two-time Olympian and helped coach the Frost to win the first two Walter Cup championships in the past two seasons. She was on the bench at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center for Idalski’s debut season, when he won the 2022-23 U.S. College Hockey Online National Coach of the Year award.  

Idalski led the Huskies to three of its eight highest single-season win totals, going 50-50-9. SCSU tied the program record of 18 wins in his first season, receiving its first ranking since 2009. Idalski also coached the Chinese National Women’s Team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

“Brian is a proven winner who knows our sport, the players and has coached at the highest levels,” Gardner Morey said. “What stands out in Brian’s experience is his ability to build and transform the programs he is a part of, from his work in professional leagues, at the Olympics and turning collegiate teams into nationally ranked contenders.” 

The trio of draftees were a big part of SCSU’s recent success: Gentry ends her career with the second-most career games in program history with 152 and is the second-most prolific scorer. She had 59 in five seasons and is No. 8 in career points (90). Idalski predicted her physicality would work well in the pro game, which allows checks. Co-captain with Gentry last year, Ross finished her career tied for ninth in career plus-minus (+7). 

“Dayle is probably arguably the best defensive defender, if not in the country, definitely going out of this draft class — her skating, her ability to handle talented skill players in space one on one, and contain and hit and pin, take the puck away is at a high level,” Idalski said. 

Ahola holds three SCSU records. She is the leader in career wins (35), career shutouts (10) and tied with herself for most shutouts in a season (5). Ahola is No. 2 in season goals against average (1.72) and season save percentage (.935, tie, 2023-24), No. 4 in career goals against average (2.62) and No. 5 in career saves (2,340), career save percentage (.917) and season goals against average (2.22, 2024-25).

Three Huskies who declared for the draft went unselected: Defender Taylor Larson and forwards Taylor Lind and Addi Scribner. 

Before he left, Idalski recruited three players from the portal: sophomore forwards Sidney Jackel and Payton Holloway from Lindenwood and Minnesota Duluth and junior Hali Lawrence from Post. Three sophomores have also transferred from SCSU: forwards Grace Delmonico and Greta Henderson and defender Carmen Bray. The Huskies will see Bray in the WCHL at Bemidji State. 

“I am excited to continue building on the foundation he built,” Jalosuo said. “Coach Idalski turned the program around in three years, and now it’s my great honor to keep building the program. Knowing the players and coaching staff well, I believe this will be a smooth transition. This is an incredible opportunity to lead a talented and dedicated group of student-athletes.” 

Jalosuo played on the University of Minnesota’s blue line from 2009-2013, winning back-to-back national championships as an upperclassman. She also played for 12 years for Finland, retiring in 2018 after winning bronze at her last Olympic games in Pyeongchang. She is a five-time World Championships bronze medalist and played professionally in the Russian Women’s Hockey League.  

Since hanging up the skates, Jalosuo has built coaching experience at different levels around the state. From 2019-2022 she led Stillwater’s high school girls hockey team, coaching the Ponies to a 52-19-4 record. She also was an assistant at Hamline and Wayzata. 

The Huskies drop the puck against Lindenwood Sept. 19 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center to open the season.  

Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com. 



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Dev Camp Notebook: BriseBois speaks, Czata takes ice and Connor is back

Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois spoke on Wednesday during the second on-ice day of 2025 development camp, addressing the team’s early approach to this offseason. BriseBois spoke on a number of topics, including a pair of free agency signings from Tuesday and offseason plans. We also caught up with one of the newest […]

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Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois spoke on Wednesday during the second on-ice day of 2025 development camp, addressing the team’s early approach to this offseason.

BriseBois spoke on a number of topics, including a pair of free agency signings from Tuesday and offseason plans.

We also caught up with one of the newest draftees in 2025 second-round pick Ethan Czata as well as 2024 draft pick Joe Connor, a forward who just finished his freshman season of college hockey.

BriseBois: Untapped potential in free agents, Finley could earn NHL chance this season

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed one external player to a one-way NHL contract after NHL free agency officially opened on Tuesday, adding 26-year-old forward Pontus Holmberg to the organization. The team then signed 24-year-old forward Jakob Pelletier early Wednesday morning, inking a three-year contract that begins as a two-way deal before converting to a one-way deal in seasons two and three.

Both players entered the offseason as restricted free agents with their respective teams but went unqualified due to holding arbitration rights. BriseBois and the Lightning believe both carry untapped potential.

Holmberg, who scored seven goals and 19 points in 68 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, can slot in at center or on the wing. The Swedish forward is most known for defensive acumen and speed, and the Lightning targeted Holmberg when they learned he was headed to unrestricted free agency.

Holmberg played with Lightning captain Victor Hedman at the World Championship, and the team heard positive reviews in their scouting process.

“Right now I like the makeup of our team…This was a really good team,” BriseBois said, “and I think Holmberg makes us an even better defensive team on what was already a really strong defensive team.”

Holmberg will likely spend time at center and on the wing throughout the year.

Tampa Bay signed Pelletier to a three-year contract in the early hours of Wednesday. The former first-round pick by the Calgary Flames in 2019 scored seven goals and 19 points in 49 NHL games between Calgary and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Pelletier’s contract is a two-way deal in 2024-25 and then pivots to a one-way contract for the final two seasons. Pelletier has scored 130 career points in 139 career games in the American Hockey League.

BriseBois said injuries hampered some of Pelletier’s development at a young age, but the Lightning see potential in him. Syracuse Crunch head coach Joel Bouchard knows Pelletier from time with Hockey Canada.

“Everyone that we talked to over the years (said) he’s high, high character, really competitive, really driven. So we think the person’s worth investing in because he’s going to do everything on his end to get us a return on that investment. And the skillset is there because he’s skilled, he’s competitive, he can make plays…keep working with him, try to get him to be a better version of what he is today. And if we do that, we’re going to end up getting a really good, young NHL player at a really good contract.”

Tampa Bay didn’t expect Holmberg to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so they jumped to sign him when he became available. Other than that, Tampa Bay has been leading up to a quiet offseason for months.

The Lightning made their 2025 trade deadline acquisition of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from Seattle—and then re-signed Gourde—partly because they anticipated this summer’s free agent market being a lighter group and both players can fit up and down the Tampa Bay lineup.

BriseBois said the team will keep looking for ways to get better, adding their projected $1.95 million in cap space is a benefit. BriseBois did maintain that it will likely be a quieter offseason compared to the previous 12 months.

“We will remain on the lookout between now and the start of the season, between now and the trade deadline. It’s (cap space) a luxury we haven’t had in the past. It might also mean we can carry more players and there’s more internal competition for ice time, which is also healthy, but I don’t expect us to be very active.”

Some of that internal competition could be in the bottom six and include Jack Finley.

The organization believes in the 22-year-old forward, who played his first career NHL game last season. The right-handed center could push for an NHL roster spot in 2024-25 after scoring 14 goals and 28 points in 40 AHL games in Syracuse last season.

“Jack Finley’s in the mix now,” BriseBois said…”I am fairly confident he’d already be in the NHL if it weren’t for the injuries he suffered over the years, and now he’s at a point where he’s going to be given that opportunity. He’s done it really well at the AHL level. He’s been that penalty kill, right-shot face-off guy who excels in the dot, and we’re going to give him the opportunity to grow into that role at the NHL level.”

Czata takes to Lightning ice for first time

Four days after being selected by Tampa Bay with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft, forward Ethan Czata took the ice in a Lightning jersey for the first time on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old spoke prior to his on-ice session, saying he is happy to be with the Lightning this week after scoring 21 goals and 55 points with the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL last season.

“In my time being alive they’ve won a couple cups, so I think it’s a winning organization,” Czata said. “Everyone here wants to win, and I think that’s something I want to do, too, is win a Stanley Cup eventually in my life. So this is the place I want to be.”

He said touring AMALIE Arena on Tuesday was exciting, adding he hopes to play in front of the fans in Tampa in the future.

The first few days of camp have been about meeting his fellow Lightning prospects and learning along the way. His big takeaway so far has been drilling down on the process.

That began through video work with Lightning skating coach consultant Barb Underhill.

“They’re really big on details here. I think that every little detail helps you become a better hockey player. We’re about to go on for skating, and I was with (skating coach Barb Underhill) looking at my skating stride the other day, and I kind of realized that ‘m always able to get better. I can grow way more. It’s awesome kind of just having those resources and the people that want to help you.”

After getting drafted in Los Angeles last Saturday, the Brompton, Ontario product is happy to be one step closer to reaching the NHL.

“It’s kind of surreal still. It’s kind of crazy I’m in the Tampa Bay lighting practice facility, putting on Tampa gear and going on the ice with a bunch of Tampa staff,” Czata said. “So it’s pretty awesome. Obviously this is something that I’ve dreamed of, and to finally be able to get closer and closer to my dream is awesome.”

Connor reflects on freshman season

After being selected in the seventh-round by Tampa Bay in the 2024 NHL Draft, forward Joe Connor ended his first season of NCAA hockey with a big team honor at Northeastern University.

Connor’s teammates and coaches chose him to receive the Rookie of the Year Award after he scored seven goals and 17 points in 37 games during his first season of college hockey.

The New Hampshire native’s seven goals were fourth-most on the team. He led the roster with 47 penalty minutes.

“Not the end we were looking for, but I think I improved tremendously on my skating and defensive zone play,” he said at development camp Wednesday. “Just playing in the system and learning the system just helped progressively so much throughout the season.”

This is Connor’s second development camp with the Lightning, and he feels more prepared this time around.

“Everything’s going great,” he said. “Getting on the ice for the first time today felt good. I’m way more comfortable than last year, and getting to know the younger guys is cool.”

The 20-year-old forward described himself as a “hard-nosed forward that likes to get gritty in the corners” but can also make plays with the puck.

He hopes to build on that this week at development camp as well as in his second year at Northeastern. The Howlin Huskies will look to improve on their 14-20-3 record last season.

“Honestly I think it just starts with getting to know the new guys. We’re going to have a lot of new guys coming in and just want to hit the ground running and being motivated from what happened last season.”



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Five Women’s Hockey Players Named All-American Scholars By AHCA

GLOUCESTER, Mass.—The American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA) announced its Krampade All-American Scholars on Monday afternoon. Five Dartmouth women’s hockey student-athletes earned the prestigious honor. To be eligible student-athletes must have obtained a 3.75 GPA or better in each semester of the 2024-25 season and must have played in at least 40% of games. Cally Dixon, […]

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GLOUCESTER, Mass.—The American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA) announced its Krampade All-American Scholars on Monday afternoon. Five Dartmouth women’s hockey student-athletes earned the prestigious honor.

To be eligible student-athletes must have obtained a 3.75 GPA or better in each semester of the 2024-25 season and must have played in at least 40% of games.

Cally Dixon, Hamilton Doster, Maura Fiorenza, Laura Fuoco, and Lauren Messier each earned the honor.

Dixon skated in 29 games for the Big Green while scoring seven goals and adding four assists in her junior season.

Doster scored twice while adding three assists in her sophomore season. She has skated in 52 career games and has tallied seven goals and four assists.

Fiorenza skated in 28 of 29 games for the Big Green and served as a key member of the Dartmouth defense core as she blocked 31 shots.

Fuoco was a second on the Big Green in scoring as she had 16 points on eight goals and eight assists in 29 games. She closes her Dartmouth career with 116 career games, 28 goals, and 35 assists.

Messier served as captain as she played in all 29 games for the Big Green as a senior. She led the team in scoring with eight goals and nine assists. In 117 career games she scored 23 goals and notched 25 assists.

The ECAC recently announced the conference schedule for the 2025-26 season and Dartmouth season ticket deposits are now available by clicking here. The full Dartmouth schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

 



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Hodges, Mansfield, Cameron and Bakkevig Named AHCA All-American Scholars

Story Links WALTHAM, Mass. – Four players from the 2024-25 Bentley hockey team were named All-American Scholars by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) on Wednesday. The quartet is A.J. Hodges, Ryan Mansfield, Colton Cameron and Oskar Bakkevig. The criteria for being named an All-American Scholar is a student-athlete must have […]

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WALTHAM, Mass. – Four players from the 2024-25 Bentley hockey team were named All-American Scholars by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) on Wednesday. The quartet is A.J. Hodges, Ryan Mansfield, Colton Cameron and Oskar Bakkevig.

The criteria for being named an All-American Scholar is a student-athlete must have attained a 3.75 GPA in each semester and have appeared in 40 percent of his team’s games.

Hodges, Mansfield and Cameron are all repeat selections from 2023-24.

Hodges, who graduated in May with a degree in finance, had nine goals and nine assists last season and was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament team.

Mansfield will be a junior next season and scored eight goals to go along with 10 assists. He is majoring in corporate finance and accounting.

Cameron is a defenseman who played in 38 of Bentley’s 40 games last season. He is majoring in finance and is entering his junior season.

Bakkevig completed his freshman year and notched 10 goals and six assists. He was voted the team’s Rookie of the Year.

Hodges and Bakkevig previously received the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award from Atlantic Hockey for having a 4.0 GPA in both the fall and spring semesters.

 



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Boston Jr. Rangers’ Dempsey Commits To Colorado College • USPHL

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Boston Jr. Rangers goaltender Beckham Dempsey is truly excited to be able to show the different ways he can help the NCAA Division I Colorado College team. The Tigers see in Dempsey a never-give-up attitude that they hope will be infectious around the locker room. “I began talking with Colorado […]

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By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com

Boston Jr. Rangers goaltender Beckham Dempsey is truly excited to be able to show the different ways he can help the NCAA Division I Colorado College team. The Tigers see in Dempsey a never-give-up attitude that they hope will be infectious around the locker room.

“I began talking with Colorado College after I was admitted as a student. They reached out, we set up a visit, and the rest was history. What they liked most about my game wasn’t my speed, my tracking, or even my win/loss record. They didn’t care how many games I started or who I played for. They cared that I kept playing after continuous setbacks. They cared that on every play, I did what I could to make a save and give my team a chance to win,” said Dempsey, a 2004-born native of Wayne, Ill. “They realized that my tenacious personality contributed to my game, which is what they know I can bring to their team.”

He is looking forward to being part of a strong Tigers program in one of the toughest conferences, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

“The innovation and purpose are what I like most about Colorado College, both on the ice and in the classroom,” said Dempsey. “Ed Robson Area, home of the Tigers, boasts everything a student-athlete could dream of. A 3,000-plus capacity, state-of-the-art training and recovery facilities, and even an academic lounge. Not to mention, CC’s block plan, where students take one class at a time, gives me the confidence to fully indulge myself in my studies.”

Dempsey comes out of his single season with the Jr. Rangers after previously playing in the NCDC with the Pueblo Bulls and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. He finished his career with a .904 save percentage over 23 games in two seasons.

“Playing for the Boston Jr. Rangers this past season was an honor. Head Coach Richard DeCaprio genuinely believed in me as an athlete, which helped boost my confidence in net,” added Dempsey. “Having access to the gym and extra ice throughout the year helped develop my game the most. Whenever I felt I needed to work on something, the opportunity was there.”

The Jr. Rangers were a first-year team in the NCDC, joining from their former league which was at a lower tier of play, but they performed well and enjoyed seeing 18 players advance to NCAA hockey in their first season in the league.

“The NCDC was a fun and challenging experience for me during the two seasons I played juniors. Having played in both the East and the West, as well as in every division and against almost every team, I got a taste of it all,” he said. “The games were a highlight of my time in the league, in addition to the fan experience in the West. I met some of my best friends during juniors, and can confidently say I am more prepared for college and the real world after playing in the NCDC.”

It is a big jump from every level of junior hockey to the NCAA game, and Dempsey is laser-focused this summer on getting to exactly where the program wants him when the team workouts begin.

“In order to succeed at Colorado College, I have been working on being more explosive in movements. I am already doing CC workouts provided by the strength department to be successful upon my arrival,” he added. “This is a program where being average just isn’t enough. Head Coach Kris Mayotte knows what this program means to the College and Colorado Springs. He has done an excellent job building this program, and I can’t wait to join him alongside my other Tiger teammates this fall!”

The NCDC congratulates Beckham Dempsey, his family, the Boston Jr. Rangers and Colorado College for his commitment.



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NCAA’s House settlement era begins, shaking up college athletics as some schools opt out

NCAA’s House settlement era begins, shaking up college athletics as some schools opt out | DRGNews google-site-verification: google9919194f75dd62c5.html Link 0

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