Historic Girls Hockey Team Heads into Playoffs

After several up-and-down years, the Groton girls hockey team enters the 2022–23 postseason as the top seed in its division and the winningest squad in program history. 

It’s a young team—with just two seniors on the roster—but one with depth and a single-minded belief in itself that third-year Coach Tim LeRoy points to as a difference in this special season.

“I knew we had a lot of strong kids coming back, but the issue was they were young,” says Mr. LeRoy. “In this league, those older, established programs are the ones who usually find success year in and year out.”

The 2021–22 season saw the Zebras finish 8-5-5, just one game outside the playoffs. Still, Fifth Form Captain Keira Ley says she could see the start of something in the team’s young core. 

“Last year was a big building year for this team,” she says. “We only graduated two seniors, and we had a lot of freshmen and eighth graders who were very competitive and wanted the team to be as successful as the older girls did. 

“This year, we got another group of freshmen who are a big part of our team,” Keira adds. “Our first game was a scrimmage against an East Coast Wizards junior (club) team that was a 7-1 win. So, right from the beginning, we saw the talent that we had on the team, but also the drive and the work ethic that everyone wanted to bring to it.”

After winning its first three games, Groton faced traditional powerhouse Tabor, currently a top-three team in New England. The Zebras fell, 2-0, but Mr. LeRoy says the team showed confidence and resolve beyond its years.   

“While it was our first setback, it was a really great learning opportunity for us,” he says. “That led us into our holiday tournament down in Portsmouth Abbey. We won our first two games and in our third game, the championship game, we were down 2-0 late in the second period and we scored four unanswered goals to come back to win it.

“We had to deal with some adversity but we also won a tournament, we met our expectations,” adds Mr. LeRoy. “So we headed into the Christmas break feeling pretty positive. At that point, I was thinking if we could stay hot, we could play some really good hockey going forward. And that continued pretty much through all of January and February and put us in this unique position we’re in now.” 

Groton finished the season 17-3-4, the most wins in program history. They earned a No. 1 seed in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Dorothy Howard Small School Tournament and a first-round bye. They’ll host Millbrook School in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 4.

Mr. LeRoy says the close call with Tabor, and the ensuing belief that they could compete with some of New England’s hockey powerhouses, set the table for a shift in the team’s mindset. 

“Tabor is such a strong team, but they scored their second goal with three or four minutes left in the game. So we were there with them the entire time. And that gave us the confidence to know we could play with some of the best teams. Now, how do we translate that into being one of those great teams?

“That’s a motto we’ve been talking about,” says Mr. LeRoy. “We know we’re a very good team. It’s about trying to continue to find ways to be a great team. It’s a really good challenge, and this is a really good group to face that adversity and take advantage of this opportunity.” 

Sixth Form Captain Karenna Beckstein—who, like most of her teammates, will be playing in her first Groton playoff game in any sport—says the entire team, young and old, cares and supports each other, on and off the ice. 

“When everyone cares as much as everyone does on the team, I feel like we’re bound to have success,” she says. “It’s really great that everyone feels the same way, and that we all have the same goals. That really has led to a lot of our success: How much we care.”

Both coach and captains hope this season is more of a launching-off point than lightning in a bottle. 

“Being the first seed, there’s been a lot of attention on us this past week,” says Mr. LeRoy. “So our name’s being mixed in there with St. Paul’s and Williston (Northampton) School. That’s great to see. That’s a huge stepping stone, not only for the program, but it gives the school that much more exposure. It’s showing people that Groton is a really good opportunity.” 

While playing in the spotlight might be tough at times, LeRoy says it’s also an opportunity for his Groton skaters to catch the eye of coaches at the next level.  

“It’s opening up a lot of doors for this group,” he explains. “Their hard work and success has brought exposure and attention. As I said, it’s good for the big picture but, for these kids, college coaches are coming to our games and wanting to talk to them. It’s a huge change from years past.” 

Keira says the team still has something to prove.  

“We all want to win, to make it as far as we can, and show people that Groton’s not just an academic school. We have a great team and great athletes here, too.” 

Mr. LeRoy agrees. 

“Playoffs around here are hard to come by,” he says. “We’ve had conversations about how sometimes that mediocrity, that feeling of ‘You did well this year,’ used to be good enough. These kids want to win, they don’t just want to do well.”