With a long list of freshmen and sophomores on its roster, Greenwich High School is one of the younger, more inexperienced girls ice hockey teams in the FCIAC, but that doesn’t mean the Cardinals aren’t setting the bar high for themselves this season.

The Cardinals also have several seniors and juniors, who have been a part of the varsity program for a few seasons and they are intent on helping the team reach the FCIAC Tournament this winter – a tournament it just missed qualifying for one season ago.

“Our goals are as always to make the FCIAC Tournament and the state tournament,” said Greenwich coach Doug Jebb, who is in his second season at the helm. The top four teams qualify for the FCIAC Tournament, which is difficult. We’re looking forward to the competition we’ll be facing.”

Captaining the Cardinals’ varsity girls ice hockey team are seniors Linsday Allen and Lila Fulton and junior forward Aubrey Roth. The trio have been members of the varsity squad since their freshman year.

“I think we’re a really strong team,” said Roth, whose twin sisters Kelsey and Sophie served as senior captains one season ago. “We lost a lot of strong seniors from last year, but we’ve got a lot of good freshmen coming in, so I think we’re going to be great this year.”

Currently, the Cardinals are 0-2-1. They began their 2023-2024 season by skating to a 3-3 tie against Ridgefield-Danbury-Immaculate at Winter Garden Ice Rink, then suffered a 7-1 road loss to Trumbull/St. Joseph, in a game in which their starting goaltender did not play. With their starting goalie back on Thursday, the Cardinals played well in a 5-2 defeat against the combined West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy team at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink.

Visiting West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead, but GHS closed to within 3-2 with a pair of second-period goals, before West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy tallied the game’s final two goals.

“We started out kind of slowly, I think we were a little tentative and then the second period was our best period of play the whole season,” Jebb said. “We’re learning to be super aggressive and it paid off with a couple of goals. They never gave up.”

In Thursday’s non-conference matchup at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy took a 1-0 lead when junior right wing Juliana Gonzalez scored off a rebound on a shot from junior defender Rachel Harrison with 8:45 remaining in the first period.

At the 7:14 mark of the opening period, senior defenseman Julianna Montano converted a snap shot from the point, giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage. West Haven-Sacred Heart Academy made it 3-0 when freshman forward Hailey Azzarone found herself 1-on-1 with Greenwich sophomore goalie Sophia DiPietro and tallied with 3:37 to go in the first period. DiPietro made numerous saves throughout the game and has steadily improved in her first season as a goalie. In fact, DiPietro, who plays varsity lacrosse for the Cardinals, is playing in her first-ever hockey season at any level.

“She raised her hand and volunteered to play goalie, this is her first year playing hockey,” Jebb noted. “She has a wonderful attitude. We are spending a lot of time getting her up to speed.”

The Cards closed to within 3-2 of West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy thanks to Roth. She knocked in a rebound off a shot from junior defender Lexie Carino with 11:25 remaining in the second period.

“Lexie Carino was taking it down the ice and I saw it was an odd-man rush, so I rushed the net with her, she got a shot and I tapped it in,” Roth said of her first goal.

Roth’s unassisted goal with 9:33 to go in the second period came in similar fashion.

“West Haven was a really strong team, but I think we came out fighting,” Roth noted. “We did a lot of rebounding work in practice this week, so I thought that showed with the two goals – they were very scrappy.”

A goal by Harrison from the left wing increased West Haven/Sacred Heart’s edge to 4-2 with 2:30 left in the second period. The victors added a third-period goal, with senior defenseman Taylor Alfano tallying at the 4:44 mark of the third period.

Greenwich increased its pressure as the game progressed, with each line effectively moving the puck.

“Credit to the West Haven goalie, she made some great saves in the third period, which otherwise it would have been a tied game,” Jebb said.

DiPietro stopped a good number of shots, while Allen, Carino and freshman Carlyn Duffy helped lead the Cards’ defensive effort.

“I think we played great, it’s one of our first games of the season, we have a lot to talk about in practice, but I think we played well,” said Allen, who brings skill and experience to the blue line.

Indeed, Allen is impressed with DiPietro as she is learning the goalie position.

“She is an amazing lacrosse player, so she’s super athletic and she is discovering all the moves super fast and it’s great,” Allen said of DiPietro.

Fulton, one of Greenwich’s returning forwards, is pleased to see the first-season varsity players find their niche on the team.

“The new players have adjusted really quick,” said Fulton, who plays right wing. “Obviously, there is a change in aggression between playing youth and high school, but they have played really well.”

Hockey is a family affair for the Fultons.

“I’ve had a lot of siblings and cousins playing on the team, so it’s great to be a leader,” Fulton noted. “I have an older sister that played and an older brother and cousins on both sides of the family.”

Jebb appreciates the characteristics the captains bring to the squad on a daily basis.

“They are wonderful leaders,” he said. “We have a leader on our defense and two of our three lines.”

Sophomore Daphne Martinez also returns to the defense, where she was a standout last season. Roth, Fulton and junior Stella Buddy are among some of the returning forwards.

Fulton, Mackenzie Newi, Allen and Grace Popp are the Cards’ seniors, while Roth, Buddy, Carino, Chaya Friedman and Taylor Carrescia are the squad’s seniors, while Allie Studwell, Tate Patterson, Martinez and Maddy Hunt are sophomores.

The freshmen on the team include Sasha Yeterian, Eleanor Fine, Daniela Pedlow, Aliza Torop, Rachel Goldenberg, Duffy and Maddy Jones.

“We have 11 newcomers, nine of which are freshman, so they are instilling a tremendous amount of energy,” Jebb said. “We are getting better every single period.”

Greenwich plays FCIAC foe Stamford/Westhill/Staples at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., then will host Wilton/Norwalk/Brien McMahon on Friday at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink on Friday at 5:15 p.m.

“We have really great chemistry together and a lot of fun together,” Fulton said. “Our goal is being seeded in the top three in FCIACs and making it as far as we can in states.”

Added Allen: “We definitely want to make it far in states and FCIACs this year.”