You may have been hearing about Scouts Hockey lately – but have you heard about the girls’ team? In case you were wondering, yes, there is a girls team. And yes, it is ice hockey. 

The Scouts won their most recent on Monday, by a whopping 10-0 against Warren, with a hat trick from Sophomore Tess Clark. 

The team has a strong history, including State Championships in 2011 and 2013, along with being State Finalists in 2010 and 2012 in the Blackhawk Cup State Tournament. Additionally, The team made the final four in both 2015 and 2016. Senior Kennedy Stein made the All-State team in both 2017 and 2018, and the team has sent a group of players to All-State every year since 2010. 

The Scout’s Girls’ Hockey Association kicked off their 2019-2020 season at the end of September. The team is unique because it actually is made up of 6 schools: LFHS, Stevenson, Woodlands, Libertyville, Highland Park, and Deerfield. However, they still use the Scouts’ name and 10 of their 24 players are from LFHS. 

The Scouts from LFHS are:

Freshman: Pride Haggerty

Sophomores: Tess Clark, Mimi Gordon, Sophie Huddleston, Emily Manfred, Caroline Mower, and Hannah Ziperstein

 Juniors: Katie Hollander and Kerry Hollander 

 Seniors: Kennedy Stein

The team practices and hosts their home games at Lake Forest College. Their new head coach is Katy Shadek, with assistant coaches Jacque Rodgers and Jordan Trapp, both students at LFC. 

I recently sat down with Senior Right Wing Kennedy Stein and Sophomore Forward Hannah Ziperstein to discuss the current season and their experiences with the team. 

Ziperstein began her hockey career around 12.

“My dad always wanted me to play because he had a background in hockey” said Ziperstein. “So, one day I just decided to hit the ice.”

Stein has been playing hockey since she was 4, following in her brother’s footsteps.

She said that having girls from multiple schools definitely changes the team dynamic, and appreciates “meeting a ton of new people.”

The team begins the year with team bonding in order for the girls from various schools to get to know each other, and different communities “brings everyone closer together.”

Ziperstein believes that even though she does not see her teammates every day at school like most teams, having girls from various schools makes the connection stronger.

She came as a freshman shy and had a hard time connecting with some of the girls, but as time went on, she was able to connect better. This year, as a sophomore she tried to reach out to the new freshman on the team to help them get adjusted. 

When Stein was younger, she went to see the team when they got the chance to play in the championship United Center, which the girls won.

After seeing the game, she said she “knew she wanted to start when she got to high school.”

Like Ziperstein, Stein joined the team as a scared freshman, but has grown into a leadership role throughout her years. She is the only senior from LFHS this year.

Stein said the younger members of the team are like her when she was younger. She said she tries to engage with them, make them feel more comfortable in the locker room, and overall set an example on the ice so they get a feel for what it’s like to be a Scout.

Stein also discussed facing issues due to gender.

When she was younger, playing for a club team, she was not able to have a chance at the top team simply because she was a girl.

“They wouldn’t let me be on the top team because the coach didn’t want any girls on their team,” she said. “The organization didn’t see girls equal to guys.”

Thankfully, she did not let this bring her down. She has played all four years for the Scouts, and recently committed to Augsburg University to continue her hockey career. 

Make sure to check out the Scouts’ next game, Monday December 8th at 7:30 , against Fenwick at Lake Forest College!