Caitlin Ruby and Emily Ayles now seniors on the Leominster co-op girls’ ice hockey team, but their path to this point has been anything but conventional.
Emily started playing hockey her freshman year at Leominster but has been skating since she was five years old, mainly involved in figure skating before transitioning to ice hockey.
“My dad and brother both play,” Emily said. “They were trying to get me to play for years.”
Caitlin played dek hockey prior to trying out ice hockey during sophomore year of high school, thanks in large part to some encouragement from her friend Emily.
“I recruited Caitlin to play for the LHS team because we were really close and we were on the same dek hockey team,” Emily explained. “I knew she would be a good fit on the team. We started going to the boys’ hockey games and she became more interested in ice hockey.”
Emily and Caitlin then started going to public skating together to see if Caitlin enjoyed being on the ice.
“After a couple of times going, I told my coach that Caitlin was interested and that I would help get her ready for the start of next season,” Emily said.
The two have been together on the Blue Devils girls’ ice hockey team since that point.
Now four years after changing skates, Emily also plays for the Lady Falcons 19U girls’ team and hopes to also play club hockey in college. She said her favorite part of the game is the intensity.
“Emily works hard and has adapted nicely from figure skating to ice hockey,” LHS girls’ hockey coach Nancy LeBlanc said. “She is a strong skater and has improved a lot and is emerging as an impact player for us.”
Emily also likes the fact that the Leominster team is a co-op team and she gets to meet people from other schools.
Emily plays varsity lacrosse for the Blue Devils in the spring and when not playing sports, she enjoys shopping and hanging out with friends.
In school, Emily said her favorite teacher is Mrs. Romhanyi.
“My favorite teacher was Mrs.Romhanyi and my favorite class was every art class I took with her,” Emily said.
Caitlin had no prior ice hockey experience prior to Emily urging to join at the start of her sophomore year. She did have dek hockey experience prior to playing ice hockey. She also plays softball and enjoys singing.
“Caitlin has worked hard to improve her skating as she too has made a transition, in her case from dek to ice hockey,” LeBlanc said. “She has made great strides and we are looking for her to contribute this year for sure.”
Caitlin said she has learned a lot from coach LeBlanc while learning the game.
“I’ve learned to try your hardest, even if you can’t do something because it will come to you eventually,” Caitlin said.
Caitlin also likes that the Blue Devils team are a co-op.
“I like that it’s a mixture of all schools, so it gives you a chance to make new friends,” Caitlin said. “It’s a very welcoming team.”
As for why she likes hockey, Caitlin said it’s an outlet for her.
“If I’m upset or mad, I can just take it all out on the ice,” Caitlin said. “It’s a team sport as well.”
Caitlin hopes to play club hockey in college where she intends to major in Elementary Education, and pursue her goal of becoming a teacher.
At LHS, she enjoyed both her criminal and civil law classes she took during her junior year.
Best of Luck Caitlin and Emily in your senior year on the ice!! Play hard and have fun!!!
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