From smooth edges to swift turns, this effortless skating translates naturally into ice hockey, where players fly on the ice as they chase after a puck and position themselves for a goal. With a quick turn of the skates, the puck shoots past the goalie, and the WA Girls’ Ice Hockey team celebrates their win against Boston Latin.
It is this kind of chemistry on the ice that the WA Girls’ Ice Hockey team hopes to improve on this season. Combining players from WA, Littleton, and Groton-Dunstable, the team is far-reaching; made up of eight freshmen and ten sophomores, it is also incredibly young. After winning a 3-2 game against Boston Latin in one of the first matches of the season, the team gained a boost of motivation for the season ahead.
“I knew that [Boston Latin was really] good, and having such a new team, I was kind of scared going to the game. [However,] we caught up with them, and we ended up winning, which was honestly awesome,” sophomore captain Kylie Carmichael said. “I think that got everyone on the right foot to start the season.”
While their season record stands at 2-9, the team feels grateful for the opportunity to play against some of the best Division 1 high school teams in the MCV/Dual County League, eventually hoping to be a part of the 32 qualifying teams for the state tournament.
“I always tell the kids the number one thing is to make the state tournament and not to lose sight,” head coach Jim Geraghty said. “I mean, you could [have a] 5-15 [season record] and have a great team because you’re playing on such a hard schedule. And so, our first objective, is to make the tournament and be as highly ranked as we can, and then upset some teams. ”
Compared to other sports, on the Girls’ Ice Hockey team, the players’ size does not make much of a difference, with some players having joined as early as middle school. This season, the shift to a younger team has been significant, after having key players graduate or move on to play for other teams.
“We needed a whole new team, but I think everyone plays this season. Some people play more than others, but everyone’s getting ice time, [and] that’s a good thing,” Carmichael said. “Like coach said, ‘you can trust everyone when they go out there.’ So that’s just something that goes to show in a couple years, or just at the end of the season, there’s just gonna be a lot of improvement.”
With the two senior captains Dorothy Galvin and Amanda Brissenden, as well as Carmichael, who is in her fourth year on the team alongside sophomore goalie Lexi McDonough, the new players have multiple role models to look up to. Not only are they working on their chemistry on the ice, but they are also learning how to be good teammates, readily accepting any feedback they receive.
“[Amanda and I] are the only seniors on the team [and] our goalie is a junior, so there’s only three upperclassmen, which is so different from any other year I’ve played,” Galvin said. “But, honestly, […] I feel like everyone’s really mature, [and] I don’t even really notice that much of an age gap. It just feels like they’re my team and I’m there to lead them, but also just be friends.”
Despite being made up of three schools, which makes for less representation in each school for spirit days, the team feels as close as any other. Getting to know one another in the locker room, they have translated that comfort with one another to the ice.
“I think we’re lucky [because] something that we have that other sports might not is a huge locker room that we’re always in, so we’re forced into this one space where we all talk to each other and get to know each other,” Carmichael said. “We’re a pretty close knit team, [and] everyone knows everyone [and] we’re comfortable with each other. So, even though we are at separate schools, we still communicate during the day.”
Already having the great chemistry that they have, the team, although young, has the advantage of having several more seasons ahead of them, and an opportunity to continue growing as they compete against the toughest teams.
“Even though Dorothy and I are graduating next year and we’re not going to be on the team, I’m super excited to see what everyone can do,” Brissenden said. “When Kylie’s a senior, they’re gonna be so good, because we have such a young team, and they’re already extremely amazing as is. […] I’m so excited to see them become an even better team.”
