BELOIT — After four years of Olivia Cronin in goal for the Rock County Fury, the girls’ hockey team will need to readjust.
As a senior, Cronin was Second-Team All-Conference, All-State Honorable Mention and top 5 finalist for the Jessie Vetter Award, given to the top goaltender. Jillian Traver, a junior from Beloit Memorial, will step in goal this year.
“We will look to Jillian to lead the way between the pipes,” head coach Luke Steurer said. “Jillian is a very talented goaltender who will be playing her first year with Fury. We are looking forward to having continued, solid goaltending in net for us from her.”
Offensively, the Fury look to junior Emma Kligora (Milton), who led the team last season with 14 goals and 13 assists. As such, she earned All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades.
Fury has just three seniors — Amery Stuckey (Beloit Memorial), Claudia Boehlke (Janesville Craig) and Lily Campbell (Milton) — and will rely on a handful of underclassmen to contribute, namely Ava Kligoria (Milton), Maizy Fonseca (Warren, IL) and Anna Cole (Janesville Craig).
“Ava comes in as a freshman as a talented forward that will bring plenty of offense for us this year,” Steurer said. “Maizy will help lead our defense along with freshman Anna Cole. Both are strong players.”
Although youth may be viewed as a weakness by some, Steurer doesn’t see it as such.
“I only see being a young team as a short-term challenge at the beginning of the season as we get everyone on the same page with systems,” Steurer said. “It’s a great group who have played together for a long time and have shown they are ready for the season to start and will work hard and play for the team as whole.”
With a mix of youth and experience, Steurer still has his sights set on a successful playoff run.
“We will need to take the season one game at a time and understand this is a marathon, not a sprint,” Steurer said. “I expect us to compete every game and put ourselves in a good position to make a solid run through the playoffs for a chance at State.”
