Reagan Rust
Reagan Rust (born February 25, 1997) is an American ice hockey player, playing with AIK Hockey Dam of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). She was the first NCAA Division I women's ice hockey player to have come from the state of Mississippi, and was inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame in 2020. Career. Rust was introduced to the sport of hockey at the age of five, joining a rec league organised by the Mississippi RiverKings in her native state of Mississippi. As a teenager, she played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U14 junior programme , a 12-hour commute every other weekend. When she was fifteen, she moved to Lake Placid, New York to attend the National Sports Academy. After it shut down, she moved to Pittsburgh to return to the Penguins Elite U19 programme, living with billet families. In 2015, Rust joined the newly promoted RIT Tigers women's ice hockey program in the NCAA Division I and became the first NCAA Division I ice hockey player from the state of Mississippi. She scored 18 points in 35 games in her rookie season, being named to the College Hockey America All-Rookie Team. After  two years in Rochester, she transferred to Boston University. In her second year with the Boston University Terriers women's ice hockey program and her final year in university, she was named team alternate captain. In her senior season, she scored the game-winning goal over Northeastern to lead the Terriers into the Beanpot finals and then scored the opening goal of the finals, leading the university to its first Beanpot title since 1981. After graduating, Rust planned to join the nearby Worcester Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), but the league collapsed before she had the  chance to sign. Instead, she joined over 150 players in the newly created Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), and would spend the 2019–20 season as an independent affiliate of the organisation. During the season, she would also participate in the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships as part of a men's team from Nashville. In February 2020, she was inducted into the Class of 2020 Beanpot Hall of Fame. Before the 2020–21 season, Rust left the PWHPA to join KMH Budapest in the European Women's Hockey League (EWHL). International career. In 2017, Rust was offered a spot on  the American roster for the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship, as the entire team was striking with the goal of higher pay and better working conditions. She turned the offer down, choosing to stand in solidarity with the striking players. Personal life. Rust has spoken out about her struggles with depression and anxiety. She has a degree in economics.