Girls Hockey Season Recap

Season Overview
By: Maggie Cross

        Hockey players must make significant sacrifices to play hockey at the highest level. The list of things needed to reach the highest physical and mental shape seem longer than the Great Wall of China.

The team poses for a picture after a hard workout. 

At National Sports Academy, the girls U19 AAA hockey team is put through a long grueling season resembling that of an obstacle course, with loop holes to jump through and towering walls to climb. The girls compete in a league called the Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL,) regarded by most as the best league in North America. The league allows multiple opportunities for the girls to be exposed to college scouts at both the D1 and D3 level. In early September, the girls started a rigorous off ice training program in order to whip them into shape and late September hit the ice to start developing the girls individually and grooming the team into one fit to compete for a national championship.

Team picture

The first half of the season was a little rocky for the girls. Heading into the Deerfield Tournament at Christmas break, their record was 12-12-7. Then, everything just clicked. Players, coaches and scouts alike all could agree that the National Sports Academy team had come alive. Moving the puck forehand to forehand bouncing it around like a pinball machine. This chemistry on the ice lead to a tournament win outscoring their four opponents by a score of 23-6.
Despite the two week break following the Deerfield Tournament the girls team came back ready to work. The intensity during off ice was amped up and on ice practices were flowing. The next seven games, including a JWHL weekend were played similar to the Deerfield Tournament resulting in a mere one loss. The team was slowly gaining speed and confidence as they headed in the Northwood Tournament in their own backyard.
The NSA girls swept the New Jersey Colonials and Rothesay-Netherwood School under the rug with relative ease, then, prepared to face off against Ontario Hockey Academy. The girls looked unfazed as they took to the ice playing an extremely competitive two sided game for an entire fifty one minutes. With this win the girls were able to advance into the semi-finals were they would face off against their arch rivals; North American Hockey Academy.

Girls after wining Northwood Tournament 

After regulation time sweat was dripping down both teams faces and if you were sitting close enough to the benches you would be able to hear the deep gasps of the players catching their breath. Yet, the score remained tied at 2. As the teams headed into overtime anticipation hung in the air. Thus far in the game both teams had competed and played with heart and knowing that hockey was a game of mistakes the question was, which team would be next to make a mistake that would eliminate them from the tournament? That question remained unanswered for the next two overtimes. Then during the third overtime after a crisp pass, hard one timer and amazing shot off a rebound, National Sports Academy was the team piling up in celebration knowing they were heading to the championship.
In the championship the girls faced off against the younger North American Hockey Academy team. Wether the girls were dead from the morning or lacked intensity due to the fact that they were playing against fourteen and fifteen years olds, the NSA team looked as though they were stuck in quick sand. But, they were still able to buckle down and pull out a 2-0 win and become victors of the Northwood Tournament.

Before the first game in the JWHL playoffs all the
girls signed player, Kelsey Lynch's stick blade. 

In early May the team boarded a plane and flew out to Colorado for the JWHL championships. Their end record for the weekend was 3-1 but the one game they lost completely put them out of contention for any medal landing them in fifth place. Following the weekend, in order to give the girls a break and let them enjoy the places hockey takes them coaches Bill Ward and Kelli Vossler planned a 2 day trip in Vail where many of the girls tubed at Copper Hill.
When the team returned the focus was completely on states. States would be a simple two games and whoever has the best record at the end of the weekend advances to Nationals. The first game went off without a hinge as NSA defeated Troy-Albany Ice-Cats by a score of 8-1. The second game however was a different story. The girls looked as though they had lost focus further demonstrated by sloppy passes and hastiness with the puck. All this compounded together resulting in a main biter until the very end. But, when the clock struck zero and the buzzer sounded it was NSA that was in the lead by a score 3-2.

The team tubing in Colorado on Copper Mountain

Two weeks later the team loaded the buses and trucked off to Marlborough Massachusetts for the final road trip of the year. The road trip was bitter sweet, after seven months of daily workouts both on and off the ice it was time for a break. Yet, the team knew that it would be the last games the team would ever be playing together. Memories of the brutal sandhill workouts, late nights in the dorm rooms, team bonding activities like Zumba, and many others were running through everyones mind. But, when the team hit the ice there was nothing sensitive about them demolishing the first two teams by scores of 9-1 and 7-2. Then, Shattuck St. Mary's made an appearance. The game was the fasted paced game the team had played all year and despite the ending score of 4-1 in favor of Shattuck many college scouts approached Coach Ward saying that it was one of the fastest girls games at the U19 level they had ever seen.
Even with the loss the girls earned themselves a spot in the quarterfinals against Chicago Mission. While the team fought till the buzzer they just were not connecting with their passes and seemed a step behind causing a heart breaking 2-1 loss, ending the 2011-2012 National Sports Academy Girls U19 season.

All the girls have made memories and friendships thanks
to NSA and all the people that make it possible

After the game heads hung low and water gathered at the corner of everyones eyes. Realization was hitting that it was over and this team would never be together again. The team consisted of 8 seniors all of which would be heading off to college next year. But, throughout the year friendships were forged and relationships were made with the potential to last long beyond the high school years. Together the 2011-2012 National Sports Academy girls team worked, sweat, cried, lost and triumphed together creating one of the most successful NSA girls team to walk the halls of National Sports Academy yet.