A bout with COVID-19 and some knee soreness disrupted Emelia Brandi’s start to the high school girls’ hockey season. The freshman winger missed the Amity/Cheshire/North Haven Co-op team’s first two games, in addition to a few practices.

Despite that, it didn’t take Emelia much time to get up to speed upon returning. Emelia quickly integrated herself to her new teammates, contributing in her first two games back.

“I’m very glad to be back,” Emelia says. “The team is real nice, and they’re great girls to play with.”

Emelia debuted with an assist in a 7-1 loss to Masuk on Dec. 17. She followed that up with an even better performance against Ridgefield/Danbury/Immaculate two days later, notching her first two varsity goals plus an assist, in a 7-5 defeat.

Now, how’s that for an introduction?

“She’s solid,” Amity/Cheshire/North Haven Head Coach John Peschell says. “She’s one of our top players.”

Peschell admittedly didn’t know much about Emelia prior to her season debut, given her limited ice time. She is, after all, just a freshman, one of seven on a team still searching for its identity. That said, he’s already put the onus on Emelia, saying the team is “expecting a lot from her.”

Through it all, Emelia’s kept a positive attitude while staying focused on the task at hand.

“I just was thinking I was going to try my best,” Emelia says. “I’m going to have a good effort.”

Emelia is just one of two players from North Haven on the roster, along with freshman Reese Jason. Eight are from Ansonia, including senior captains Sammy Drane and Carly Silbert, and seven are from Cheshire. While there’s still some unfamiliarity amongst the group, Emelia hasn’t had any trouble fitting in.

While sidelined, she was able to stay in constant contact with the team through a group chat.

“A lot of the girls already knew each other,” Emelia says. “But all the girls were very welcoming. It wasn’t that bad coming back.”

Peschell has encouraged the team to get together for dinner or game and movie nights to help build camaraderie. In fact, he sees it as a priority.

“We’re one team,” Peschell says, “and not three schools playing together. We really focus on being one team. The team is all about that. We’re not Amity kids, we’re not Cheshire kids, we’re not North Haven kids. We’re the Blades.”

Emelia has fully bought into that mindset, saying her motivation to help the team is “off the charts.” She adds: “I have a lot of motivation. All the girls are great. They’re really fun, they’re nice. I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team.”

Peschell wasted no time thrusting Emelia into a pivotal role. She’s skated with the top line at even strength and at point on the power play. In time, Peschell hopes her presence will lead to increased production across the board, especially as the team’s 10 underclassmen grow more comfortable.

The team — 0-5 and having been outscored 36-13 — has very much gotten off to a slow start. The schedule will pick up again after New Year’s, with games against Hand, Suffield, New Canaan, Hall/Conard, Guilford and East Catholic crammed within a span of two weeks.

“We’re a very, very young team,” Peschell says. “Inexperienced. It looks like we’re starting to get better as the year goes on. She’s definitely one of our better players.”

Emelia is relatively experienced on the ice, despite her age. When she was 6 years old, her father built a rink in the family’s front yard. By the time she was 7, she had fallen in love with the sport.

In addition to her school co-op, Emelia has been playing with the Mid Fairfield Youth Organization. Last year, her team made the national tournament in Philadelphia, which she called a “fun experience.”

“It makes me stronger, increases my level of competition, which is helpful,” Emelia says of playing for Mid Fairfield. “When we play all the teams from Massachusetts, they’re very good, so when we’re playing against teams that are better than us it helps us improve as players.”

Emelia also plays softball and is a trombonist with the school band, making for a jam-packed schedule. Between both hockey teams, she’s on the ice at least six, or in most cases, seven days a week. How does she juggle all those responsibilities, in addition to schoolwork?

“Occasionally it just makes me a little tired,” Emelia says, “but by the time I get to hockey, I’m all excited. When I get (to the rink), I’m like, ‘We have seven days.’ But then I’m like, ‘Let’s go! We have seven days.’”

When asked if she has a favorite sport or activity, Emelia says it depends on the time of year. “If it’s hockey season, it’s hockey,” she says. “But if it’s softball, I’d say softball.”

Emelia doesn’t take those opportunities for granted. At the moment, she’s focused on turning around the Blades’ season so that they can make a run in the Southern Connecticut Conference playoffs come February.

“Making it to the playoffs and possibly getting far in the playoffs would be awesome,” she says. “Just our team getting to that best potential would be the goal.”