With four eighth graders, two freshmen, three sophomores, four juniors and only two seniors on its roster, Greenwich Academy’s varsity ice hockey team is indeed, young and quite inexperienced.

However, that doesn’t keep the Gators from competing at a high level against their more experienced opponents, one of which was an outstanding, powerhouse Darien High School team.

Darien scored three first period goals, then Greenwich Academy settled down until the Blue Wave scored two third-period goals in a 5-0 win over the Gators at Darien Ice House on Jan. 10. Darien has rolled to a record of 9-1 so far this season and is recognized as one of the premier squads in the state. The game was just the third for Greenwich Academy (0-3), which opened its season with losses against formidable foes Portledge School and The Frederick Gunn School.

“They’re a typical GA team, they’re battling, they’re working hard, they’re fighting in every game that we’re in,” Greenwich Academy coach Erin Brawley said. “This was a tough one, we were down a few players, they were tired. So, I give them credit for gutting out the game. They didn’t quit, they never do, they never quit. They got their legs under them a little bit, they started figuring things out.”

Greenwich Academy is captained by senior Ella Loehnis, junior Molly Duval and junior Niamh Cooney. Loehnis plays wing, Duval centers one of the team’s top lines and Cooney sparks the squad as a defenseman.

“They’re great, they’re rallying the team together,” Brawley said of GA’s captains. “We have a young squad, we have four eighth graders and two seniors, they’re doing a really good job of keeping the girls together as a unit. They’re setting the tone in the locker room, they’re setting the tone in practice, on the ice, off the ice, so I couldn’t be happier with them.”

In Darien’s victory over GA, the hosts took a 1-0 lead when sophomore forward Ella Harrison scored off an assist from junior forward Adriana Gromelski close to the midway point of the first period. After Gators goalie Marguerite Triggiani, only an eighth grader, made a nifty save at the 7:44 mark of the first period, the Blue Wave extended their lead shortly after.

With Darien applying plenty of pressure in front of the net, Harrison tallied off a scramble in front, with the assist going to junior forward Haley Hurkala, making it 2-0 with 6:24 remaining in the opening period. With 5:57 to go in the first period, Darien upped its lead to 3-0 behind a goal from Gromelski.

After that GA held Darien scoreless in the second period, with Triggiani making several saves. Cooney registered a shot on goal during the second period, while sophomore forward Maggie Lyden and freshman forward Marina Vintiaddis applied pressure in the Blue Wave zone.

“Darien is a great team, so it was great practice for us,” said Loehnis, who emphasized GA’s togetherness. “Our team is super young. We lost a couple players last year, but I feel we’ve always been a really close-knit team with great team chemistry. So, I think throughout the years and this upcoming season we’re going to grow.”

“I was a captain last year and I think it’s so much fun leading a team like this,” continued Loehnis, who also competes on GA’s field hockey and tennis teams. “We do have a couple of things we need to work on as a team and we put 100 percent of the effort we had on the ice. We’re going to work on what we have to work on and hopefully, next time we can come a little bit closer.”

Facing a championship-caliber team like Darien was a daunting task for the Gators, especially since they were without the services of several athletes.

“We were missing two of our eighth graders, who were away on club tournaments, so we were definitely light on numbers, which made it very tiring as we were going on every other shift,” Julia Duval said. “But we kept the shifts short and we played well together.”

Greenwich Academy visits Rye Country Day School on Jan. 21st, plays Greenwich Country Day School at Greenwich Skating Club on Jan. 22, then host king School Jan. 26th at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Sacred Heart Greenwich on Jan. 28th (Chelsea Piers) and Greenwich Country Day on Jan. 31st (Chelsea Piers).

GA will travel to Millbrook School for a February 2nd matchup, then will face Darien again, this time at Chelsea Piers Connecticut on Feb. 4. They will play Portledge School again on Feb. 9th on the road.

“They definitely have a lot more club, all-year round players compared to us, so they are definitely strong competition,” Duval said of some of the boarding/prep schools GA plays, as well as Darien. “But they give us really good practice. Even though the score sometimes, there’s a big gap, when we see them twice in a season, there’s usually a lot of improvement by the second game against them.”

Cooney noted how significant it is for her to be a part of GA’s ice hockey program.

“These girls are like my family,” Cooney said. ‘The bond between GA puck is so special, you can’t ask for anything else. What we may lack in numbers, or experience and age, we make up for in heart. Everyone here loves hockey and wants to be there for their teammates, which makes for such a special environment. I think this team is going to go far.”

She also emphasized how well the team is beginning to jell on the ice during games and in practice.

“At GA everyone is there to support you,” Cooney noted. ‘We love each other and I think pure team chemistry makes everything on the ice click so much more. Everyone wants to go to practice, everyone wants to be the best player they can for their teammates. So, I think that inspires everyone on the team.”

Brawley said of her squad’s resilience: “Typical GA hockey is we fight, we fight, we fight and sometimes we get some lucky goals, sometimes we get some great goals and sometimes the bounces go our way. Today, (the Darien game) it just didn’t happen that way.”

Triggiani has been solid in goal for the Gators as an eighth grader on the varsity squad.

“She did a great job, she’s been phenomenal in our last three games,” Brawley said following GA’s game versus Darien. “She’s fairly new to playing an ice hockey goalie. She’s working hard, has a positive attitude and is standing tall in front of our net. They are rallying around her too.”

Lyden, sophomore Olivia Smith and Vintiaddis have helped lead GA’s offense, along with Cooney and Loehnis. Junior Perry Casazza and Julia Duval help pace the Gators’ defense. Julia’s sister, Molly Duval, a freshman, is also on the GA squad.

“It’s fun, I’ve never played with her, because in club I never get to play with her,” Julia said of competing on the same team as her sister Molly. “So, it’s fun to get to play with her, because I probably won’t ever again.”

As for the GA’s goals the rest of the season?

“I want the girls to have a great time playing hockey, working as a unit, wanting to come back to the rink and get better every single day,” Brawley said. “Working as a unit is the overall goal.”