Katy Reed, senior, has always been interested in hockey and has played since eighth grade. Taking to hockey required convincing initially.

“I started just before eighth grade and immediately wanted to be goalie. I had always been fascinated with the position, and my parents finally caved in and let me play,” Reed said.

Reed has played on both boys and girls teams and actually prefers playing with the guys.

“I have always played on both a guys team and a girls team. It’s actually a lot of fun playing with the guys. They’re a lot faster than the girls, and they really challenge me all the time,” Reed said.

Reed started on the hockey team her sophomore year. When she joined, they were struggling to find players, leading her to become the goalie for the team.

“When I started, we didn’t have many players; we only had one other goalie in the school. There was no formal tryout that year and since then I’ve been the only goalie at Lafayette,” Reed said.

With being the only girl on the team came with its challenges. Reed had to show the team that they could trust her and had to work together.

“It was just the unknowns of being the varsity goalie as a sophomore that made it challenging. It was my first year playing with Lafayette and I just hadn’t earned the respect yet. It made it difficult to be confident in my play, but since then, things have gotten so much better,” Reed said.

Moving past those challenges, they learned to become a successful team and Reed is beyond grateful to be a part of an amazing team.

“I think this team has really helped me grow as a person and as a player,” Reed said. “I wouldn’t change the experience for anything.”