History made as Webster takes the ice with Section V’s first ever all-girl hockey team

WEBSTER — The referee lined up at the center dot, flanked by two centermen at each hip. One bore the navy and gold colors of Webster, the other Ithaca’s red and yellow garb.

The two players took their position, the puck was thrown to the ice and sticks clashed.

An ordinary beginning to most hockey games.

This one, though, was far from commonplace. It signaled Section V’s first ever all-female varsity hockey team was here to play, developed with students from Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas high schools.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for awhile,” said Webster senior Olivia Lucania. “They put the idea out there when I was a freshman, so three years I’ve been waiting.”

History of girls playing Section V hockey

While Webster is the first local girls varsity team, female players have had a presence in Section V hockey for nearly 40 years. In 1985, Brockport’s Gina Lawrence made history when she became the first female to suit up for a boys hockey team in Section V.

That precluded waves of others who, should they desire to play varsity hockey, had to try out for boys teams.

There were several attempts, particularly in the last 15 years, to create a girls hockey league in Section V. Whether due to scarce participation or financial fear, those efforts never extended past the exhibition stage.

Until now.

“Certainly this has been in the works for awhile,” Webster Schroeder athletic director Shawn Strege said. “Really it came down to listening to the kids, talking with parents and identifying some of the obstacles that existed.

“We had a lot of meetings and walked out of some thinking maybe this isn’t the time. Then we met with the kids and we’d say, ‘If not now, when?’”

How Webster's girls hockey team came to be

One of Webster’s first steps was identifying how many girls players existed in the school district and whether a strong pipeline was in place in Rochester’s various youth organizations.

Comfortable with potential participation totals, the school district hired Allyson Watrous — a former player for Nazareth University’s women’s team and a teacher at Webster Schroeder High School — to be the team’s first head coach.

Tryouts were held in mid-November with 25 participants, each of whom was offered a position on the team (though some declined).

“We had more than enough girls interested to fill the team,” Watrous said. “Right now our roster is at 22, which is a solid number for a hockey team. I couldn’t be happier with that.”

One of the challenges of girls hockey in the Rochester area is the competition for time.

Almost every member of Webster’s new varsity team plays for a local club or travel team, whether it be the Rochester Jr. Americans, the Rochester Edge or the nearby Webster Cyclones.

In boys hockey, players are afforded a months-long break from their club teams to compete for their respective high schools. The girls, however, are not afforded that option.

“From my understanding the lack of a split season is one of the biggest obstacles to why girls hockey in this area has not taken off,” Watrous said. “I’ve had some girls tell me they’re on the ice 10 times a week, which is a lot of hockey.”

Offering some respite from busy schedules, Webster only practiced 11 times from Nov. 13 through Wednesday’s season opener and will not hold daily practices through the duration of the season.

Watrous is also in constant communication with her players’ other coaches to avoid potential conflicts.

“It seems there’s been a willingness to work with me, with them realizing how much this means to the girls and how excited the girls are for it,” Watrous said. “The girls don’t seem burned out by it at all.”

Following Wednesday’s opener, Webster currently has 13 games remaining on the schedule. The Lakers will travel to the Buffalo area six times and to central New York twice. Webster Thomas athletic director Steve LaMonica credited Section V hockey director Scott Morrison with helping piece together this year’s slate.

The hope among organizers is that such an onerous schedule is only temporary, and that other Rochester-area school districts will pursue girls varsity teams in the near future.

“Through this process, we’ve shared information with our colleagues in Section V and I think there is some interest,” LaMonica said. “They’re kinda watching us to see how this happens. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer until another team or two pops up in Section V.”

The first goal for the Webster Lakers

Less than five minutes into the game, Ithaca turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Jessica Nappi pounced.

The Webster forward corralled the puck, sped down the right wing and fired a shot from the circle that beat Ithaca’s goaltender.

Arms raised in celebration. Nappi’s goal was the first in program history.

Firsts will be common this winter. Wednesday marked Webster’s first loss, but players are hopeful that the first win — and many more — will follow.

Beyond that, the significance of Game No. 1 was understood by its players. If growing the sport is among their goals, Webster is off to a strong start.

“It means a lot,” Webster goaltender Mia Wambach said, “just knowing we could start something that’ll help other girls in Section V.”

“We hope to influence others,” Nappi said.

Girls hockey is on the rise in New York

In 2022-23, USA Hockey reported nearly 7,000 female hockey players in New York state. That total was 5,992 in 2017-18 and 3,835 in 2002-23.

A sport on the rise. Webster is proof of that.

“I’m really excited about the growth of the game and the trajectory it’s on,” Watrous said. “We’re not there yet, but if we keep going hopefully we’ll have a few more Section V teams and that’ll lead to more girls having futures with the sport.”

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Webster debuts Section V's first girls hockey team