TEMPE – Breanne Powell went into her college hockey career with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, one of the toughest injuries an athlete can face. But although ACL tears are relatively rare in hockey, they can still derail a young player’s career. For Powell, the injury changed everything, including her path to Arizona State’s women’s club team.
ACL injuries in hockey are less common than in other sports such as soccer or football, largely because players glide on ice rather than planting and twisting on turf. This reduces knee stress and the likelihood of ligament tears.
ACL injuries in hockey can happen through contact, a collision, a fall or getting tangled up along the boards, rather than on quick cuts or pivots.
When these injuries do occur, recovery can take months. However, studies show that most hockey players make a strong comeback, often returning to the ice within eight months after surgery. Experts also note that skating’s smooth motion helps lower reinjury risks across the board.
Powell’s journey was anything but smooth. After playing one semester at Grant MacEwan University in Alberta, Canada, she faced a major setback when she tore her ACL. As she recovered, potential colleges began to move on, leaving her without a roster spot.
“I tore my ACL in 2022 and recovered, and then I fractured my shin and found out that I have two cysts and an extra ligament in my knee my first year here and had to recover from that,” said Powell, a junior forward from Parksville, British Columbia, who joined the Sun Devils before the 2023 season. “It was a lot to handle, but it made me stronger.”
Despite the setbacks, she remained determined to return to the ice.
“They didn’t want to have an injured player coming in,” Powell said. “It was really difficult. But I feel like every day it was a learning curve. Obviously not getting to play my first year of college hockey was tough, but coming down here, it was kind of like a fresh start.”
While other schools passed on Powell, ASU women’s hockey coach Lindsey Ellis saw potential.
“Bre is super enthusiastic,” Ellis said. “She’s an all-around great human. We knew she was coming back from injury, but she had such a strong work ethic. Everything we wanted in a player. It was hard to pass up.”
Ellis said she has a soft spot for transfers, especially for athletes looking for a new opportunity to finish their college careers.
“It’s important to me to give someone a chance to feel at home again,” Ellis said. “She was looking for somewhere to belong, and we had that.”
Once fully recovered, Powell described returning to hockey as feeling natural again, like riding a bike.
Now in her third year at ASU, Powell has proven herself both as a player and as a leader. She has six goals and four assists in 10 games for the Sun Devils, who are 7–3–0 heading into Saturday’s game at Minot State.
“She’s been great,” Ellis said. “She was an all-around great leader.”
Powell described her recovery as both mental and physical, rebuilding her strength and confidence one step at a time.
“It was like two steps forward, one step back,” she said. “It just took perseverance. And I’m grateful for what my body can do now.”
Living in Arizona compared to Canada makes her feel like a snowbird.
Junior defenseman Hannah Kunz has been by Powell’s side since their freshman year, watching her push through recovery.
“I think we band together when anybody’s hurt,” Kunz said. “You check in, you show up, that’s just what we do.
“She’s shown so much resilience.”
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