Tara Mounsey’s Legacy Immortalized in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
In the 2020–2021 season, the National Federation of State High School Associations found that only 16 schools across the Commonwealth of New Hampshire offered girls’ hockey programs, with 317 girls participating. New Hampshire makes up about 3.5% of girls who play high school hockey in the U.S. However, there was a time when girls’ hockey programs were scarce, resulting in girls playing on the same teams as boys.
Meet Tara Mounsey, a New Hampshire native and trailblazer in women’s hockey, who headlines the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 inductee class as its only female honoree.
During high school, Mounsey played defense for Concord’s boys’ team before advancing to Division I at Brown University. As a freshman in the 1996–1997 season, she made the All-ECAC First Team with Katie King, won Ivy Rookie of the Year and earned All-Ivy First Team honors. Under Head Coach Digit Murphy, the Bears finished 28-2-1 and went undefeated in both the ECAC and Ivy League.
After her first year at Brown, Mounsey and King joined Team USA for the IIHF World Championship, earning silver in an overtime loss to Canada. Wearing No. 8, Mounsey played all five games, scored two goals (one on a power play), and notched three assists. She earned player of the game honors in a 6-0 win over China.
Between 1997 and 1998, Mounsey paused her college hockey career to take her talents to the next level when she was selected for Team USA for the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Just like the previous year in the IIHF Championship, Team USA and Team Canada went head-to-head twice in the race for gold. In her first year on the Olympic stage, Mounsey scored two goals and recorded four assists. For the gold medal, Team USA played Canada in an IIHF Championship rematch. With Mounsey’s leadership, Team USA won the gold medal, beating Canada 3-1.
After the Olympics, Mounsey returned to Brown and joined the Field Hockey team, embracing the challenge of becoming a two-sport athlete. From 1998 to 2001, she ranked second in career points and goals and 15th in assists. Demonstrating her relentless versatility, she holds Brown’s single-season record for goals (25) and points (60), both set in 1999.
Her honors from the Women’s Hockey Team include being named an All-American twice for the 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 seasons, induction into the Brown Hockey Hall of Fame and recognition as an All-ECAC and All-Ivy First Team member on two more occasions. She would then return for her second Olympics four years later in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, she would claim her second medal, this time silver.
After her Brown career, Mounsey was honored with an award in her name in 2000. She and Alison Brewer received the Tara Mounsey Award for Best Defensive Player. Over 78 games, she scored 48 goals and 70 assists (118 points), ranking 13th all-time at Brown.
She completed her education at Boston College, became a Nurse Practitioner, and now coaches the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reflecting on her career, Mounsey told The Granite Post,
“Hockey has always been a part of my life and remains a part of my life…I like how fast it is. I like chatting with my teammates on and off the ice. I’ll play for as long as I can physically play.”
Her impact continues as she mentors young players and inspires a rising generation in girls’ hockey leagues. This ongoing legacy ensures that her contributions to the sport will resonate well into the future.