Standout Goalie Makes Her Mark on the Ice

Walt Whitman once said, “If you done it, it ain't bragging.”  To most 17 year olds, bragging can come easily, but not for Claudia Escue. Modest, soft spoken and focused, Escue is not only doing something with her life, but she is excelling at it.

The only girl on the Parkway South Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team, Escue has kept her eye on two goals, the one she guards every week as goalie of her team, and playing NCAA Division I ice hockey in college.

Born in Memphis, she and her older brother started playing roller hockey when they were young. Her family moved to Kirkwood in 2004 and after ice skating at a friend’s birthday party, she was hooked. 

She started in the house league in Kirkwood where, after a few years, was asked to play for the Cyclones, which was an all girls team. From there, Escue went to play for the Lady Blues, the only AAA Elite girls ice hockey team in St. Louis. 

Her coach, Joe Bova Conti, also a coach for Parkway South, needed a goalie for his boys team. He did not have to search far. Escue was a perfect fit.

“I knew I would run into resistance bringing a female into an all male, 'boys’ club' environment," Conti said. "I did not hesitate because I knew once the boys saw how talented Claudia was, they would not object. I was correct. The boys immediately had confidence in this 'solid, lights out' goalie—even if she was from the rival .”

When playing for the Parkway South Boys team, Claudia can handle the pressure. She feels very much a part of her team, but their opponents will, at times, discriminate against her.

“When they find out there is a girl in the goal, they sometimes come at my face a little harder than usual,” Escue said.

Escue is one of the top goalies today in the U19 (under 19) AAA leagues in the country, according to Conti. He predicts that Escue's skills on the ice, coupled with her excellent academic record, will land her a psoition with a NCAA Division I team after she graduates.

Escue's father, Dick Escue, and mother, Lorraine Escue, beam with pride when talking about their daughter.

“I love telling people that my daughter is an ice hockey goalie,” Dick said. When asked if it's hard to watch their daughter play such a tough sport, her father smiled and said, “Claudia doesn’t flinch.”

That unwavering, solid, focused attitude will no doubt take Claudia far. She is not only doing what she set out to do, but will likely surpass it on the ice and in life.  For Claudia Escue, it's about time to start bragging.