Debbie grew up playing street hockey, as a goalie with the boys on the block, and with dreams of playing for the Islanders someday. But, alas, "When your are 8 years old and your family moves to Florida, you have to move with them." Hockey took a back seat in Debbie's life for quite a while, as people had not yet heard of hockey in the Sunshine State.

As Debbie got older and the few attempts at building nearby ice rinks in Florida failed, she trekked "Up North" to feed her hockey addiction. She spent a couple of summers at Bryan Trottier's Skating Academy in Port Washington (NY), where she was the first girl to ever sign up. Needless to say, they did not know what to do with Deb, forcing her to change in the manager's office.

After graduating college, Debbie headed back to New York City to go to culinary school, while playing hockey for fun every Tuesday. Once schooled in the culinary arts and several years of "paying dues" in kitchens in manhattan, she discovered the NYCGHA Tigers and began playing as a forward. Now, chef/owner of Beast restaurant in Brooklyn, it has become necessary for her to play on two teams, the Wizards amd Tigers in order to release all the aggressive tendencies, and frustration that goes along with having a crazy restaurant. Doctors orders!