Ashley Birdsall isn’t playing a game.

The Buffalo Beauts forward spent part of the season traveling back and forth from the team’s rink in Amherst to her home state of Minnesota, where the National Women’s Hockey League player serves as a captain for a far more important team.

“I currently serve as an operations officer for the Minnesota Army National Guard,” Birdsall told The News in a written statement cleared by her superiors. “My specific role in our organizational response to Covid-19 includes leading and collaborating pandemic preparedness for our state unit, developing and publishing operational orders supporting potential requirements, and collaborating with leaders and staff to ensure appropriate taskings.”

What a day it’s been ð good to be back to work with my fellow comrades https://t.co/YsplgrfMjx — ashley (@Birdsall_19) March 17, 2020