The first chapter of Edwards and IHIH was penned when eight girls visited Madison, Wisconsin, for a locker room tour, meet-and-greet with Edwards, defenseman Caroline “KK” Harvey and Chayla Edwards, Laila’s older sister and a Wisconsin defenseman from 2019-24. One of the eight was Vaneshka Caraballo, a 17-year-old defenseman who is headed to Buffalo State University and trying out for the hockey team. No matter how far the journey goes as a player, the fundamentals and life lessons gifted by the game have given her enough confidence to pursue a major in business administration and sports management.
Caraballo’s long-term goal is reuniting with Garvin and continuing his life’s work. Her muse is seeing Edwards elevate the spirit of dreamers.
“She’s the first Black woman to play in the Olympics, United States, which is amazing and incredible,” Caraballo said. “And she gives more opportunities, like the kids that we have here, just to see that they can be whatever they want to be, and they can come from wherever they come from, just to be here in the United States.”
Harvey’s goal at 3:45 of the first gave Team USA a 1-0 lead and made an immediate statement on the ice, with Hilary Knight’s secondary assist giving her 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) to tie Jenny Potter’s U.S. record since women began playing in the Olympics at the 1998 Nagano Games. Edwards scoring was the coup de grace for the U.S, which continued its dominance following its four-game sweep of Canada at the 2025 Rivalry Series, which it won by a combined score of 24-7.
Even in the glow of going global for that minute, Garvin said it’s another day, another event to show and tell young girls they can do anything and that the game of hockey is for them. A brand-new audience is ready to learn more and the doors are wide open.
“Layla scoring isn’t the cherry on top, it’s just the beginning,” Garvin said. “It’s the beginning for her. It’s the beginning for girls all over the country, different girls of different races, etc., and certainly for Ice Hockey in Harlem girls.”