7 PM

Ted Daigle Auditorium, Edmund Casey Hall

Please join STU alumna Karissa Donkin, BA ’12, for the launch of her debut book, Breakaway on Tuesday, October 7 at 7 PM in the Ted Daigle Auditorium.

When the first puck dropped in the Professional Women’s Hockey League in January 2024, it had been a long time coming. In Breakaway, Karissa Donkin tells the story of the players’ efforts to create the PWHL, long before the first full season. Following the unnamed 2024 Montreal PWHL team, with some of the best players in the sport, like Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose, Donkin takes readers through the League’s founding, the draft process, the practices, and the dramatic arc of the first season. Defying all expectations, with larger crowds and higher revenues than anticipated, this first season was a gamechanger for professional women’s sports leagues.

About the Author

Karissa Donkin covers women’s hockey and the PWHL for CBC Sports and has spent more than a decade working in newspapers and broadcasting. Since 2016, she has been part of CBC’s Atlantic investigative unit, with stories regularly featured on national programs across all CBC platforms. Her recent reporting on New Brunswick’s Child Protective Services was profiled on The Current.

Donkin has received a National Newspaper Award and several Atlantic Journalism Awards. Her work was also nominated for the prestigious Michener Award.