Clockwise from top left, John Jay senior Erin Samuelson has shined in goal for the North Avalanche. Piper Ackner of Fox Lane battles for a loose puck behind the net. Kathryn Becker of John Jay controls along the boards in overtime victory. Marcela Maurice of John Jay rips a shot from the point. Jim MacLean Photos
By JIM MACLEAN
They’ve been to Maine, traveled around New England and upstate near the Adirondacks, and they’ve been to Madison Square Garden in New York City.
It’s been one long road trip after another for the North Avalanche girls ice hockey team, and they are loving every minute of it.
The results have been an impressive season for the team made up of girls from the northern school districts in Section 1, a total of 25 girls from 14 different schools including six from Fox Lane and John Jay.
“The most important thing is the bus ride there and back, the bonding on the road trips; we’ve taken it to another level,” explained Fox Lane senior Piper Ackner, in her third year playing varsity girls ice hockey. “Madison Square Garden is so cool. I imagine what it must be like for a New York Ranger looking up from that ice at that crowd.”
John Jay senior Erin Samuelson is in her first year with the team, shining as a goalie for a stingy defense. Samuelson previously started in goal for the John Jay boys varsity team until joining the North Avalanche this year.
“Road trips are so much fun, a lot of bonding. It’s been really great and we have a lot of fun together,” Samuelson said of the experience. “Our purpose is to better ourselves with every game, and we’re getting the job done and that makes it even more fun.”
Winning always makes it more fun and the North Avalanche have certainly done the job, getting off to a 10-2-1 overall. Those road trips have paid off to make the team better, and that is the goal according to coach Stacey Wierl, a teacher in the Scarsdale district and mother to two daughters who attended John Jay.
Wierl has been the head coach since she started the varsity girls ice hockey program in Section 1 six years ago. It started with two teams, one in Rockland called the Rockland Rockies, and one in Westchester called the East Green Wave. Two years ago they split the Westchester team into a southern and northern team, and the Northern Avalanche was born.
“The first year we went up to Buffalo, and we learned how good girls hockey is in the north country, we couldn’t play against those teams,” explained Wierl. “There are a lot of girls playing hockey in this area, but they would play with the boys varsity teams or club and private schools. Now, the girls see how competitive it has become and that increases our numbers and our skill level. We have to make trips upstate to see how we rank and to get better. We made a trip to Maine to start the season. Connecticut teams are starting to schedule us because they see our skill level has improved. We learned we can compete and we’re a skilled hockey team.”
That skill level was evident Jan. 8, as the North Avalanche hosted Stamford/Westhill/Staples at the Brewster Ice Arena and battled into overtime when Sascha Brightman of Pawling scored at the 2:08 mark to give them a 1-0 victory.
A tough overtime game Wednesday night didn’t help with the schedule as the team was on the road early Thursday morning headed to New York City to play at Madison Square Garden against the Rockland Rockies. John Jay sophomore Kathryn Becker scored a goal and assisted on another, and Samuelson teamed up in goal with Lily Stanzione of Byram Hills to record a 3-0 shutout to improve to 10-1 overall.
Their legs must have been tired as the team was back on the ice Friday and settled for a 2-2 tie against their local rival the East Green Wave. Becker scored again and Samuelson recorded 14 saves in goal, but the East Green Wave scored twice in the third period as the teams settled for a tie.
A grueling stretch of four tough games was finished on Jan. 13, once again squaring off against Stamford/Westhill/Staples on the road in Connecticut, and this time the Avalanche suffered a 3-0 loss to stand at 10-2-1 overall.
In addition to Samuelson and Becker from John Jay, eighth-grader Marcela Maurice has played a big role on defense for the North Avalanche. From Fox Lane there is Ackner, along with seventh-grader Ava Oliva and sophomore Violet Fishlin.
“Erin has been so big for us, she’s playing the best hockey I’ve ever seen her play, really confident and having fun,” Wierl said of Samuelson. “Piper Ackner is our assistant captain and she leads by example, non-stop hustle, on the ice she had one speed, just all out. We’ve seen Kathryn Becker grow tremendously, a great kid who works really hard and has been solid. Marcie Maurice is such a talented player, she doesn’t play like an eighth grader and she’s been a rock on defense.”