Kelly Schultz of the Beaver Radio Network has been a trailblazer for more than a decade. Kelly was named the 2019 Kwame McDonald Media Award winner by the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership. The award is given to members of the media who have supported and promoted girls’ and women’s sports.
Kelly, who has been covering Beaver women’s athletics since 2007, is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Bemidji State women’s hockey team on the Beaver Radio Network. She was the first female play-by-play announcer in WCHA Women’s Division I hockey, and she remains one of few female play-by-play announcers in college hockey across the board.
She will be in New Jersey on Tuesday, March 8th, as the Devils celebrate their annual Gender Equality Night. For the first time in the Devils history, they will have an all-female broadcast team.
The New Jersey Devils will host their annual Gender Equality Night on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 when they face off against the Colorado Avalanche in a 7 P.M. contest at Prudential Center. The night will feature the Devils’ first-ever gender equality themed warm-up jerseys, created by local artist Amrisa Niranjan.
During the game, for the first-time in franchise history, the Devils will have all-female digital broadcast. The team’s broadcast on the Devils Hockey Network presented by RWJBarnabas Health will feature Kelly Schultz as play-by-play announcer and Erica Ayala as color commentator. Schultz has 15 years of play-by-play experience and is currently the radio voice of the Bemidji State University Division 1 women’s hockey team. Ayala is a sports writer who has covered basketball, hockey and other sports for espnW, ThinkProgress, Deadspin, and numerous other publications. She has worked as an analyst on PHF/NWHL broadcasts and is the host of Founding 4 Podcast and co-founding writer of The IX Newsletter. NJD.TV pre-game and post-game shows will be led by a full female talent group with Catherine Bogart and Amanda Stein.
For the complete release, click here
Schultz started her play-by-play career in 2007, covering BSU’s women’s soccer, hockey and softball teams, and over her 15-year career, she has been able to create awareness for girls’ and women’s sports in the media. She has had young girls and college-aged women ask her how they can become involved in radio and play-by-play announcing, and she says making those connections are her biggest contribution to women’s sports.
In October 2018, another dream became reality for Schultz as she broadcast her first NWHL game as the voice of the Minnesota Whitecaps – the state’s newly formed professional hockey team. She will serve as the team’s play-by-play announcer during its inaugural season in the NWHL.
Kelly also broadcasts games for the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), and will also add the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to her resume this month.
To listen to the Devils vs Avalanche game on March 8th, click here