Co-Captain Lilly McInerney ’26, a winger for Girls Hockey, began skating when she was around four years old, taught by her grandfather who played hockey professionally. As a leader on the team, McInerney strives to lead with intensity and positivity, serving as a role model for her younger teammates.
McInerney shared her excitement for being named a Co-Captain. She also elaborated on her leadership philosophy, which is centered around accountability, and her expectations for her teammates.
“Being elected [Co-]Captain was the best thing ever, and holding everyone to the same standard and myself to that standard on and off the ice is super important, and [it is] a big reason why we’re so successful,” said McInerney.
McInerney continued, “[I expect] everyone to bring their best every day, and that they do it for themselves and everyone around.”
Jackie Louie ’29 described McInerney as someone who perseveres and plays relentlessly on the ice. Specifically, Louie praised the Co-Captain for her strength in forechecking —applying pressure in the offensive zone to gain possession of the puck— and backchecking —hustling back to the defensive zone to thwart opponents’ attempts to score.
“She’s a very gritty player, and on the ice, she never gives up. She’s always giving 110 percent effort. She plays wing and is one of the fastest players on the team. She’s always super quick moving up and down the ice, backchecking, and forechecking. She has great hockey IQ as well,” said Louie.
Louie continued, “Backchecking and forechecking are her strongest examples. She always backchecks and forechecks hard and is really relentless. For example, if she had the puck and lost it, she wouldn’t hesitate to win it back. She would skate really fast and put everything into getting that puck back. Yet she knows when to push forward and when to fall back.”
Additionally, McInerney described how, alongside her Co-Captains, she composes the team in stressful moments.
“When we’re not having the best practice before a huge game, if we all just need to lock in, we have this motto, ‘right here, right now,’ which everyone just repeats themselves, or us as [Co-]Captains will reiterate. That helps everyone dial in, take a deep breath, and focus on where we are right now,” said McInerney.
Katherine Cooke ’29 shared how McInerney regularly strives to support her teammates, whether through inspiration at games or in reviewing film.
“On the bench, she’s always super loud, cheering everyone on and giving constructive feedback. When we do film, or even on the bench or at practice, she’s always making really good and thoughtful points that benefit everyone on the team,” said Cooke.
Cooke also explained how she sees McInerney as a role model both on and off the ice.
“I see her in many different capacities, and I look up to her in many different ways. As a player and as a person, she’s a really good person and is super sweet, so I look up to her in that way. As a player, she’s amazing to watch, and I really aspire to be her. She’s super fast, really gritty, and not afraid to be aggressive. She’s a really key part of our team,” said Cooke.
After Andover, McInerney plans to compete for Northeastern University’s Division I Women’s Hockey program.
