A former play who says this is also a big hit for young girls hoping to enter the sport

CANADA (NEWS 1130) – The future of women’s hockey is up in the air after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League announced it’s ceasing operations.

The league announced on Sunday that the CWHL‘s board of directors decided to discontinue operations as of May 1, 2019.

But one former player is calling it a devastating blow to women on and off the ice.

“I coach girls that are on their way to university and their goal is to make it to the CWHL when they’re done,” says Melissa Wronzberg, who played at the CWHL for two years. “It doesn’t just affect players who are there now but the girls who have that as their goal down the line.”

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The news comes following the 12th edition of the Clarkson Cup.

“The CWHL is a great outlet, we even had teams in China and we saw it growing in China from that. So it’s definitely damaging for not just Canada but the globe.”

Wronzberg says the news serves as another reminder women’s sports need support and continued funding to keep in business.

RELATED: Canadian Women’s Hockey League announces it’s folding

She says she was shocked to learn the league was calling it quits and angry more wasn’t done to try to save it.

“I’m definitely in shock,” she adds. “You see it all over the news right now and if maybe all those news outlets had stepped up and given the league more exposure before this went down then it might not have ever been the case.”

The CWHL was founded in 2007 with a mandate to grow women’s hockey and it operates similarly to the MLS in that it owns the teams.