BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
Gregg Grosskopf, head coach of the Niagara County Lady Warriors girls high school hockey team, will be the first to admit that his team has come a long way since their inaugural season back in 2018-19.
Following that winless first campaign, the Lady Warriors have improved every season. Last year saw them finish with an overall record of 13-5-0.
The team is made up of players from Starpoint, Niagara Wheatfield and Lewiston-Port.
So what can we expect from this Niagara County team this year?
“Hopefully we will keep building on what we just did,” commented Grosskopf. “We’re hoping for even more success this season.”
Leadership is one thing that Grosskopf feels the team does not have a problem with.
“We’re rolling the role of captain this year,” responded Grosskopf, who has coached this team since its inception. “We have so many seniors on the team (seven) this year.
“Some of these seniors have been on the team since seventh grade when we began. Now they are seniors.
“So we’re just going to keep rolling captains. We felt that we had so much leadership on the team that we couldn’t name just one.”
Those seniors include: Sophia Bochicchio (Niagara Wheatfield), Faith O’Connor (Starpoint), Marina Mansfield (Starpoint), Frankie Williamson (Niagara Wheatfield), Lily Bessel (Niagara Wheatfield), Julia Hoffman (Lewiston-Porter) and Madison Mallone (Starpoint).
Interestingly, Mallone is one of the players Grosskopf referred to as being with the team since seventh grade. She also has the distinction of scoring the first goal in team history.
“Many of these girls know what it’s like to be on the losing side of things. Now they’ve experienced winning.
“Hopefully we can keep working and building on that and become a top team in this league.”
One other player that will be looked to for leadership will be goaltender Kennedy Ruest (Lewiston-Porter), a 10th grader.
“She’s a good goaltender to have,” said Grosskopf. “We will be rolling with her this year.”
Another interesting point is that Grosskopf doesn’t see any one team as being the team to beat or a powerhouse in the league.
“I think every team has a good shot at winning it all,” commented Grosskopf. “You can’t take any of these teams lightly.”
(Photos by Janet Schultz Photography/NY Hockey OnLine)
