A former NESN anchor will become the first woman on NCAA tournament play-by-play
Leah Hextall will team with current NESN analyst Billy Jaffe in Providence.
Leah Hextall will become the first woman to handle play-by-play in the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship when she calls three games in the East Regional this weekend on ESPN networks.
Hextall, formerly of NESN, will team up with current NESN Bruins analyst Billy Jaffe on Saturday’s matchups between Providence and Minnesota State (1 p.m., ESPNU) and Northeastern-Cornell (4:30 p.m., ESPNU).
Excited to join @espn for the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship! 🏆 I’ll be joining @BJaffe to call the East Regional in Providence 👉🏻 https://t.co/FGhhlNELYH
— Leah Hextall (@leahhextall) March 26, 2019
Hextall and Jaffe will also call Sunday’s East regional final (4 p.m, ESPN2). Quint Kessenich will join them as the rinkside reporter for the final.
During her time with NESN (2012-14), Hextall was a studio host and rinkside reporter. She previously worked for ESPN in 2016 during the World Cup of Hockey as a reporter.
Last year, she switched to a play-by-play role and is currently calling the Canadian Women’s Hockey League on Canada’s Sportsnet, including its championship game.
