New scholarship honors Jessi Pierce, Minnesota hockey reporter killed alongside kids in house fire

A new scholarship named for Minnesota sports reporter Jessi Pierce will support young women who want careers in sports journalism.

The Jessi Pierce Memorial Scholarship was created by SKOR North and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association.

Pierce covered the Minnesota Wild for NHL.com, co-hosted the Bardown Beauties podcast and was a regular contributor for SKOR North.   

Pierce, her children Hudson, Cayden and Avery, and their dog died in a house fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in the early morning hours of March 21. In September, investigators' preliminary findings blamed faulty electrical equipment. White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson said it was the worst loss of life in a structure fire in the department's 138-year history.

Pierce's husband, Mike Hinrichs, wasn't home at the time.

"This truly unfathomable loss and all-consuming grief is with me every day and will be forever with every breath I take that God allows," Hinrichs said in a statement released in late September.

Fundraisers are also being planned, including the Jessi Pierce Community Cup, a youth hockey tournament in St. Paul, scheduled for Dec. 11-13.