The seven girls grew up playing hockey together at Robert Crown Community Center in Evanston. They participated in Evanston Hockey’s mostly co-ed house leagues and travel teams.
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They all found themselves on a much bigger stage this spring, the USA Hockey Youth Nationals. The tournament was played at the eight-rink New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass., April 5-9.
Four former Evanston Hockey players were part of the Chicago Young Americans squad that took third in the 14U Tier I division.
It was the first time Chicago resident Maya Ballard and Evanston residents Sophie Berghammer, Deanna Buenzow and Luiza Santos had competed at nationals. Berghammer is a freshman at North Shore Country Day, while Buenzow and Santos are in eighth grade. Ballard, a freshman at Northside, said it was an experience she won’t soon forget.
“It was crazy. First of all, the rink actually had eight rinks inside of it, which is not something I’ve seen before,” said Ballard, a forward who was a teammate of Berghammer’s on the Evanston Township High School co-op team this winter. “Every single team you play, has some of the best girls in the country. It was really fun, but also really challenging. Every girl has earned their spot to be there and they are all fighting for the same thing you are.”
In the quarterfinals, the Young Americans scored a goal early in the second overtime to dispatch Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 1-0 on April 8.
However, the Young Americans had just a few hours to recover from that taxing game before meeting the eventual-champion Minnesota Green Giants in the semifinals. The Green Giants won 8-0. The Young Americans (41-18-7) were awarded third place because they beat the other team that lost in the semifinals, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, in pool play.
“Winning bronze is no small task, not to mention every Division I women’s college program is there scouting (at nationals), just for a little added pressure,” Young Americans coach Frank Bisceglie said.
Bisceglie said the Evanston Hockey alums on his team already are drawing interest from Division I coaches. Buenzow, a defenseman, and Santos, a forward, appear to have particularly impressive credentials, each serving as an alternate captain despite being younger than about half the players on the squad.
“Kudos to the staff there (at the Evanston Hockey youth program), they seemed to have it dialed in and are producing strong hockey players,” Bisceglie said.
North Shore Warhawks
The Warhawks went 1-2 at nationals, finishing third in their division in the 14U Tier II bracket. The squad, which formed this year after the Winnetka Warriors and Northbrook Bluehawks merged their girls hockey programs, featured Evanston Township High School freshmen Bradley Bellios, a center, and Molly Jo Krupkin, a left wing. The pair are close friends and linemates.
“(Krupkin) is my best friend and we’ve played together since we were 5. We always know where the other one is on the ice,” said Bellios, an Evanston resident who finished the season with 26 goals and 21 assists. “She always knows what to say to get me motivated. Like if I miss a shot, she’ll always say something funny, just to keep my head in the game.”
Bellios was a team captain for the second straight season. In 2016-17, Bellios captained the Winnetka Warriors 14U squad, which was led by current Warhawks coach Bill Brush.
“(Bellios) is a phenomenal hockey player, an all-around athlete and a super nice kid,” Brush said. “She plays center most of the time, but plays other forward spots, and on occasion she’ll play defense on the power play. She can play anywhere. She’s an intelligent hockey player, leads by example, works hard and the girls look up to her. “
Krupkin finished the season with 12 goals and 15 assists for the Warhawks (40-13-3).
Highland Park Falcons
Evanston Township High School assistant Mike Ruley invited Highland Park Falcons coach Brian Peter to watch Zoe Durston play in a pickup game in the summer of 2017.
Peter was impressed by what he saw, and asked Durston to join the squad, which featured players from high schools like: New Trier, Loyola, Carmel, Warren and Crystal Lake South.
Peter said he quickly discovered Durston, who had played forward, could help fill a need on defense.
“We were heavy on forwards, and we tested out a few girls on defense, and (Durston) stood out,” Peter said. “She was the most versatile. We successfully moved her back and she’s played a big part for us on the back end (of the rink).”
The Falcons (29-13-11) went 1-2 in pool play at nationals and finished third in their division in the 16U Tier II bracket.
Durston, a sophomore and a member of the Evanston Township High School team, said she ran into some of her former Evanston Hockey teammates at nationals.
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“I saw Sophie Berghammer and Maya Ballard there playing for Chicago Young Americans,” Durston said. “It was crazy, I remember playing with them when we were all kind of starting out, doing camps over the summer. It was just so weird to see how far we’ve come.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press