PWHL Boston hosted their first Pride Night with a rainbow filled crowd holding signs, waving flags, and showing that inclusion in hockey is possible. Jamie Lee Rattray spoke post game on the success of the evening.

LOWELL, MA— You couldn’t wipe the smiles off the PWHL Boston players and coaches on Thursday night.

Boston was fresh off one of their biggest wins of the season, knocking off the best road team in the league in a 2-1 victory over Toronto to keep their playoff dreams alive.

However, Jamie Lee Rattray’s grin was noticeably wider.

Not only did Boston secure three pivotal points in their first game on home ice in 39 days, they did so in the organization’s inaugural Pride Night. Rattray—an ambassador for the foundation Sport A Rainbow—was playing for more than wins and losses at the Tsongas Center.

“I think it was really special,” Rattray said after the game. “Kudos to our business side too, who really helped put this all together. I think we can do a really good job in our side of hockey here to really have good visibility for nights like this.”

Sport A Rainbow is an initiative dedicated to advocating for inclusivity in sports and their communities, which Rattray was proud to pay homage to on Pride Night. She sported a custom-made Pride jacket on her walk-in to the arena, which was auctioned off for $2,568, with all proceeds benefiting the foundation.

“Pride is close to my heart, and I’ve been working with Sport A Rainbow for a couple years now,” said Rattray, rocking a Sport A Rainbow hat during the postgame press conference. “I think it was a really cool project we did for tonight with doing the jacket. We raised some really good money.”

And while Rattray was ecstatic to earn a hard-fought win in front of the hometown crowd, seeing the sea of rainbows around the arena was her highlight of the game.

“It was really cool seeing all the rainbow signs and all the representation here tonight,” she said. “It just shows that we’ve been able to create this safe space for everybody in hockey. I hope we can continue to do that for everybody, not just on Pride Nights.”

The veteran forward is also encouraged by the PWHL’s heightened platform to provide its players with a voice to raise awareness for causes they believe in.

“You’ve seen the visibility of this and how big it’s grown,” Rattray said. “That’s why I wanted to do it this year to boost it up, and maybe next year we can do something even bigger.

“It’s important for young kids out there who maybe have role models to look up to now. Maybe they hear someone’s story that can help them through their journey. I know I was lucky in my journey in that it was pretty easy going, but maybe it helps someone in the younger generation.”