Girls Hockey
April 14, 2022
The MBS girls varsity ice hockey team had yet another incredible season this past winter. While it seemed impossible for them to match their record from last season of 18-8-1, they beat it with a record of 16-3-1 before heading into the State Championship versus Princeton Day School on March 2, 2022, where they pulled out yet another win (7-0).
Leah Stecker ‘22 started the season off strong by scoring 2 goals in their season opener, as well as 1 goal from Lilli Warnock ‘23, 1 from Logan Sutera ‘22, 1 from Kailin Kane ‘24, and 3 from Jessica Sperling ‘24, resulting in 8-1 win for the MBS girls varsity hockey team. Crushing their first game led to their winning streak of their next 6 games.
Overall this season, Stecker made significant contributions to the team’s successful record such as scoring 2 game-winning goals. She ended her season with 19 career goals, and 20 assists, resulting in 39 points in total for her senior season.
It was an unforgettable experience, although it was amazing we won, but it was also a bittersweet moment. Leaving the team, my friends, and the coaches was sad. — Leah Stecker '22
Throughout their season they had 10 impressive shutouts, starting off with Oak Knoll 8-0, Westfield 9-0, Chattam 13-0, Clarkstown North 6-0, Summit 5-0, Kent Place 10-0, Randolph 8-0, Madison 8-0, beat Randolph again 7-0 in the quarterfinal round, and finishing off the season with their state championship win against Princeton Day 7-0. Going into states with their winning record, the team was feeling confident and determined to win.
On March 7, at 11 am, the Prudential Center was filled with students from both MBS and Princeton Day School ready to cheer on their teams for the final round of the state tournament. Early on in the year, MBS lost to PDS, but as the puck was dropped in the state finals, “the team was really focused on finishing the job,”said assistant coach and science department chair Dr. Chris Payette. About an hour later, MBS had a shutout victory, 7-0. Stecker ‘22 said, “It was an unforgettable experience, although it was amazing we won, but it was also a bittersweet moment. Leaving the team, my friends, and the coaches was sad.”
Coming off of a tough pandemic year where fans weren’t allowed, this game was yet another sign of returning back to normal. “I think having fans helped the team become motivated and excited. We needed energy and that is exactly what the fans brought. They definitely played a part in us winning states,” Stecker said.
The team is close because of the positive environment we created, and we all help each other grow as players by supporting each other. — Katie Ewig '22
The last two years, while successful, have not been easy for the team with canceled games and a lack of fans in the stands. The team persevered through all the cancellations and continued to make team bonding a priority. Katie Ewig ‘22 said, “With Covid, team bonding is harder because we do not always get to hang out as much as we want to. However, having the locker room [this year] has made team bonding easier than last year…The locker room is a place where we all come together. It can be peaceful, a place where we do homework, or high energy.”
Even though it would be much easier to create these bonds without the pandemic circumstances, the girls still managed to become close to one another. “The team is close because of the positive environment we created, and we all help each other grow as players by supporting each other,” Ewig ‘22 said. This bond throughout the team creates excitement and a healthy environment for the girls. It is also an essential part of their season that everyone enjoys. “Bus rides where we sing songs and dance are enjoyable times where our team bonds,” Ewig said.
While the team is losing some of their team leaders as they graduate, they are looking forward to another successful season next year.
