Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Girls Hockey Camp doubles in numbers from previous years
7/20/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's D1 Hockey, Women's D2 Hockey
By all measures, Liberty University's fourth and final week of its Summer Hockey Schools was a success as twice as many females as ever before — ranging from Mites, Squirts, Pee Wees, and Bantams to 16- and 18-and-under players — participated in a three-day Girls Camp from Sunday through Tuesday at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"This is my fourth year at this camp and we've gone from 25 girls to now almost 60 girls, so it's awesome to see how much the camp has grown, but also to see that the skill level has increased," Liberty DII women's Head Coach Rena Leone said, noting there were a few rising seniors in high school who are looking at playing for the Lady Flames. "I actually ran my own team camp Wednesday through Saturday, so we had two high school recruits and one potential transfer with us who actually came to this camp, too. It was seven straight days of hockey."
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| Players battle for possession of the puck near mid-ice. |
"We're seeing a lot of returners, but we're seeing some new faces and some girls from different programs outside of Virginia and North Carolina," added Chris Lowes, head coach of the Lady Flames' three-time-defending ACHA Division I women's hockey national champions, noting that some came down from as far away as Michigan. "That's encouraging."
Leone said of the 59 campers, there were about 30 in the 13-and-under and 30 in the 14-and-over age category.
"There were probably at least 15 juniors and seniors who are interested in coming to Liberty," she said. "We were able to do a recruiting talk with them and show them around the rink and locker rooms and campus. They went swimming (in the LaHaye Aquatic Center), played soccer in the (Thomas Indoor Soccer Center), and went bowling (in the Montview Bowling Alley), so they did a little bit of everything on campus. It was definitely good to get to see them interact with the other kids, and the other players, and coaches, and counselors, to kind of get a little glimpse at their personalities."
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| LU DI forward Vanessa DeMerchant celebrates a goal. |
Sally Hoerr, a rising second-year graduate student and defenseman on the Lady Flames' DI team was one of five Liberty hockey players who served as counselors, joining DI graduate forward Vanessa DeMerchant, Division II defensemen Brynlee Anderson and Alexis Early, who graduated in May, and rising senior DII forward Julia Hoffmeier. Additionally, former DI men's hockey forwards Quinn Ryan and Cole Gammer offered instruction.
"These young athletes look up to those college players and it's pretty neat to see those relationships form," Lowes said. "Overall, it was a really good week. Girls are excited to be on the ice and they all had varying seasons because of COVID. They're excited to be here and it was a good chance for us to showcase our campus and facilities and have another great week of hockey camp."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Hayden Robertson/Club Sports Video & Media Assistant
DI women's hockey Head Coach Chris Lowes leads older players in prayer after Tuesday's final.
