On December 8, the Madison High School girl’s hockey team season got underway. They opened the year with a game at Princeton, a team they had a lot of success against last year. They carried that success right into the new year with a big 8-3 win over the Tigers. Senior forward Mia McSherry led the way in scoring, tallying three goals and an assist. Followed by other Senior forward Ava Haralampoudis, who had two goals and two assists. Senior, Izzy Hunter, Junior, Catie Leary, and Freshman, Leah Jobe also added a goal each. In the preseason the girls spent time at the Chatham Club doing off-ice workouts. Hunter also said, “a lot of it was spent on the ice, building the team’s chemistry”.
The team turns to Senior captains Ava Haralampoudis, Mia McSherry, and Francesca Giglio for leadership this season. The captains are focusing on leading by example and showing the younger girls what it means to be a part of the girl’s hockey team. The captains understand how difficult a sport hockey can be, especially for the younger girls. They’re prepared to help the team with problems varying from simple equipment issues to questions about how to actually play. During an interview, Haralampoudis said, “Being a leader off the ice is just as important as being one on the ice”. The seniors have confidence in this year’s team, and they’re hoping for more success than they’ve had in recent years.
Mia is coming off of a very successful Junior season. Last year she scored 26 points consisting of 13 goals and 13 assists. Over her first three years, she has a total of 33 career points. In an interview, Mia said that her goal was to double her points from last year. Through two games she has already reached five points, and they still have nine games remaining on their schedule. Another player the team is looking to help contribute is Sophomore, Athena Halawicz, who had nine points in her freshman season, as well as freshman goalie Clementine Dickson-Child. Dickson-Child recently moved from California and joined the team as soon as she arrived. A solid goaltender is a position the team has struggled to fill in past years, so they’re hoping for big things from her. Haralampoudis said, “She’s a really great goalie, and really easy to work with”.
On a team composed of a lot of non-seniors sometimes it can be tough on the players. They’re all expected to play a big role on the team, despite being “underclassmen”. However, the seniors and the captains have faith in their teammates and are confident that through their leadership they can be successful this year. If you’re interested in keeping up with their season you can see their schedule below:
