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03/30/2017 12:00 AMLilly Young wanted to venture onto a new athletic avenue at the halfway mark of her time at Guilford High School. An avid fan of the National Hockey League, Lilly went out for the girls’ ice hockey team and emerged as a strong leader for the Indians by using a mixture of patience and toughness.
Lilly has played softball throughout her life and still does for Guilford. As a junior, Lilly decided to test her mettle on the ice and so she joined the Indians’ hockey squad last winter. After learning the ropes during her first season, Lilly returned to the Indians as a captain this year and led the team with 13 points by recording eight goals with five assists as a wing. She was named Guilford’s Most Valuable Player at the end of the season.
“In the beginning, it was definitely a transition, and it was a lot more intense of a sport than I was used to. It wasn’t until the end of last year that I felt I understood the game,” says Lilly. “I just kept working hard in practice and the team helped me with really good players and encouraging coaches on an amazing staff. The girls on this team also really help each other out.”
The sport of hockey offers a number of complexities, and it took some time for Lilly to get her feet wet with grasping the Xs and Os. One thing that helped Lilly was that she took in a lot of hockey during the offseason, both on television and up close and personal at the rink.
“I think I’ve gotten better both physically and mentally with the game. It’s a complicated game, but I practice a lot over the summer,” Lilly says. “I wanted to get ready for my senior year, so I worked hard and also watched a lot of hockey to help me improve.”
Lilly earned the ultimate nod of confidence from her squad when she was named a captain for Guilford this season. Head Coach Gil Schaper says that Lilly made good on her team’s choice by displaying great heart on the ice—and the result was another prized distinction that came Lilly’s way.
“Lilly was voted team captain and selected MVP by players and coaches. She is the toughest player on the ice, and she doesn’t lose many 1-on-1 battles,” Schaper says. “Her strength, athleticism, and intelligence has allowed her to grasp the skills and knowledge of the game that is required at an extremely fast pace. She comes to every practice with the right mentality to learn and improve, while focusing on hockey and resisting distractions and drama.”
Lilly got a sense of the stamina one needs to play hockey by watching both NHL players and her teammates skate from end line to end line. As a result of studying the game, Lilly also learned the importance of being able to produce with the puck in any situation.
“Since I was young, I loved to watch the NHL and wanted to play. I learned from watching my friends and wanted to be good at it like they were. My coaches also helped me with that and my toughness as a player,” she says. “In 1-on-1 battles, you have to stay tough and on your feet. You have to angle the player out and beat them to the puck. You have to want to win.”
Even though Lilly only played for Guilford hockey for two years, she’s taking away a lifetime’s worth of memories after working alongside a supportive coaching staff, plus group of girls who will do anything to help one another become better players and people.
“I learned a lot as a person through hockey. I made good friends through it. It was a pleasure to play for Guilford High School,” says Lilly, who thanks the entire Indians’ coaching staff, along with her parents Amy and Skip, plus her teammates. “Listening to my coaches, they’ve taught me so much. It was easy to play together with these girls. I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great experience.”