Lake Forest Girls Off to a Fast Start on Ice

Lake Forest's  girls' hockey team takes a 9-3 record into the closing weeks of play in December before gaining a break  to focus on improving themselves into the champions they feel they can be.

"We want to win league (Metro Girls), win state and ," said Scouts' goalie Hannah Redden, a Libertyville High School senior and team captain who was the league's goaltender of the year in 2008-2009.

As a club sport, league rules allow the Scouts to have girls on their roster from schools where there is no team. In addition to 11 players from Lake Forest, there are two each from Stevenson, Deerfield and Libertyville high schools.

Redden has been a microcosm of the Scouts season and the constant that has allowed Lake Forest coach Ryan Anderson to develop the team's talent. With a streak of six consecutive shutouts, she and her teammates experienced the euphoria of consistent winning and when the run ended they learned how to be a better team.

"That was a tough lesson. We really came together after that," said defenseman turned winger Jessie Gould, a Stevenson High School junior. "We started passing better and looking more for each other."

Anderson used the time as well to shuffle his lines to find "the best possible combinations on the ice," he said. Anderson alternated three lines and two defensive units in the Scouts' 4-2 victory over Upper Fox Valley on Dec. 5. "The depth has allowed me to pool different lineups together to get the right ones."

The line of Haley Conroy, Bridget Roche and Frannie Sensenbrenner accounted for two of Lake Forest's goals against Upper Fox Valley—Conroy and Roche had the scores—while Emily Kuchman, who is not assigned to a unit for Anderson to insert where needed, slapped in the other two.

"We need to crash the net on rebounds. I told them when you get near the net good things happen," said Anderson about his talk encouraging the Scouts to be more aggressive after a 1-1 tie at the end of the first period.

Anna Bleck, Gould and Chandler Soco comprise another line while Lucy Baron, Marie Soukup and Katie Sullivan make up the third. One defensive unit contains Caroline Knop and Dana Markee, and the other is Kelsey Patten and Madison Pfalzer.

Katherine Hayes is Anderson's other swing skater while Marisa Kaplan backs Redden up in goal.

"Which line or defensive set I use depends on the circumstances," said Anderson. "They all have their strengths. The depth has allowed me to get the best lineup out there and that varies from game to game. Emily's two goals are an example of that."

The Scouts also know when to change strategy as they did when they ended the second period tied 2-2 with Upper Fox Valley before two third period goals secured the win.

"We changed our checking," said winger Soukup, a Lake Forest High School junior. "We forced them up the wall and then cut them off."