Girls' Varsity Ice Hockey Team Wins Lakes Region

She approached Matt McGuirk, a new faculty member just out of college hired as an English teacher and head baseball coach, about the idea of coaching the girls’ hockey team. Mr. McGuirk, 23 at the time and looking to gain all the experience he could, did not hesitate to accept the opportunity. As word spread around campus, longtime faculty members Jim Frey and Director of Advancement Bob Barr volunteered to help with the team as McGuirk’s assistant coaches.

In the first season, the team went 0-6, but that wasn’t for a lack of enthusiasm and motivation. Corey Grout ‘00 recounts, “I was really happy when the school said ‘yes’ to the team. A huge crowd turned out for the first game. Then Katie Hansen ‘01 scored the team’s first-ever goal, and none of us could believe it. It was almost surreal.”

Rhea Grieco ‘99 still has the image ingrained in her mind of Martha Whittington walking off the ice with several fish that were thrown into the rink when the team scored its first goal. Coach McGuirk remembers the Bauer representative coming to the old wrestling room in the gym and outfitting the girls, many of whom had never skated before.

Coach McGuirk stated, “Being a part of that team was one of the most rewarding and gratifying experiences of my life. I learned more about coaching in those three years than I could have ever imagined. Vermont Academy is such a special place that I owe my success to. Without Vermont, I would not be where I am today.” McGuirk spent three years at Vermont Academy before returning to his alma mater Thayer Academy in 2001. Today, McGuirk is the Assistant Director of Major Gifts and Alumni Relations at Thayer.

Bob Barr, former Director of Advancement and an integral part of the team's formation, recalled, “In that first season there were no hockey recruits. In fact, there were only a handful of girls that knew anything about hockey. As such, there was little depth on the bench, let alone girls who could skate well. Backwards crossovers? Forget it! However, there was a lot of camaraderie amongst the program's early participants. They were pioneers at Vermont Academy.”

Fast forward 20 years, and the girls’ varsity team has just finished the regular season with a 30-2-2 record, securing a NEPSAC Division II Tournament berth, as the #2 seed, for the first time ever.

Highlights from the season include:

The girls hope to continue their success heading into the tournament as the #2 seed. VA will host Kimball Union Academy in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 28, at 3:30 p.m. Depending upon those results, they could go on to play on Saturday, March 3, in the semifinals. The Division II championship game will be played at the Worcester Ice Center on Sunday, March 4, at 1 p.m.