TV series featuring Minnesota hockey moms debuts Saturday

They are the moms screaming in ice arenas, driving their would-be-Wayne Gretzky to practice at 6 a.m. on a Saturday and sacrificing so much for the ultimate sport in the state of hockey. Now you can follow their drama on a weekly basis on television. "Hockey Moms" premieres Saturday on KSTC-45 at 6:30 p.m. Producers call it part reality show and part documentary.

"They are super dedicated, loving hockey moms who have other real personal stories that we are going to be sharing," said show creator John McCally, CEO of McCally-Lee Entertainment. "They are four very distinct hockey moms, and we picked them for that reason."

Three of the moms are from Minnesota (Stillwater, Rosemount and Cambridge-Isanti hockey associations) and one is from the Menomonie, Wis., area. All have youth hockey players and different approaches to life and the sport that consumes their lives.

Gwen Marty has a son in the Stillwater area hockey association and struggles with the cost of the sport and also paying for her daughter's participation in dance.

"It's been a whirlwind," said Marty. "I was nervous and apprehensive, but the producers have just been fabulous. I give them my schedule and I tell them to choose what they want to film."

The other three moms bring different elements and backgrounds to the program. Shontel Parnell has five children playing hockey in the Cambridge-Isanti area. She owns five businesses with her husband, Clint Parnell, who also coaches hockey.

Parnell considers herself the calm amid the chaos.

Shay Chamberlain, the mom from Menomonie, has fought for four years to get her son, 11, into a youth hockey association. She is described as a loud, proud and opinionated hockey mom.

Angie Goren is an on-again, off-again hockey widow. She is married to former pro player Lee Goren, who spent some time in the NHL. She has two sons who play at the mite level in Rosemount.

The show aims to show the ups and downs of having a child play hockey and also the idea that many families love hockey but dislike hockey associations. Marty hasn't seen the debut episode yet. She plans to watch it on television on Saturday with close friends.

"It will be interesting to see this program," Marty laughed. "They haven't scripted anything. They always say just do as you would normally do. Be yourself."

Show producers put out an extensive casting call to find hockey moms to feature in the series. After going through more than 400 applications, they chose four mothers. The final episode of the 11-part series will air right before the Boys' State AA High School Hockey Championship broadcast in March.

Marty is glad her family will be featured on the show. Her favorite part is when show producers tell her that they chose to include her " 'because we already know you are sexy, sassy, spastic and in the midst of a financial and midlife crisis,' " she said.

Vineeta Sawkar • Twitter: @vsawkar