Captain Lilly Feeney ’20 will also serve as Co-Captain of Andover Girls Lacrosse in the spring.
Feeney said, “I feel like the ice hockey team is definitely a family on this campus, and a lot of the girls on the team are all very good friends off the ice as well. I just appreciate what this team has brought to my Andover experience.”
According to Co-Captain Sophia Merageas ’20 and teammate Indi Wagner ’22, Feeney is a supportive leader who demonstrates an unmatched work ethic.
Merageas said, “She is super supportive. In my case, I know that sometimes I feel out of it, and she will be the first one to say, ‘You got this.’ In addition to being supportive, she has phenomenal leadership skills that I have definitely learned from… Her work ethic is something I strive to attain.”
“She has probably the greatest work ethic of anyone I’ve ever seen and anyone on our team. She’s just always putting in the extra work both on and off the ice. Off the ice, when we would lift, if she didn’t have a perfect rep, she’d always do another, and she’d always be willing to do more… That work ethic obviously helps as a captain because she’s pushing everyone and creating a great competitive but also supportive atmosphere on the team,” said Wagner.
According to Wagner and Gwyn Lapp ’22, Feeney’s extensive knowledge about the sport not only makes her an offensive threat on the ice, but also allows her to give others valuable feedback off of it.
Wagner said, “Lilly is one of our strongest players on the team. She’s super fast and scores a lot. She has really good stickhandling, so she’s able to free up space for herself and drive to the net very well. She also has a great game sense and hockey IQ, so she’s able to go to the right place at the right time and make herself available for people on her line which is a great skill of her and is really helpful.”
Lapp added, “She’s so wise and knows so much about that game, that she’s always there if you have questions. She’s always there to give you good feedback and tell you what you need to work on or what you are doing well. I think not only in terms of what she does herself but also what she can do for others in terms of her hockey IQ is really important to the team.”
Feeney is able to communicate well with both the players and coaches and knows how to get the team to focus and work hard, according to Molly MacQueen ’21 and Lapp.
“As a captain, Lilly does a really good job leading both by example and by talking to us. She also works really well with Soph and they balance each other’s leadership really well. Lilly brings a ton of energy to everything we do, but she also knows when we need to focus and get more serious,” said MacQueen.
Lapp said, “She goes above and beyond for everything she does. She takes notes on our game film… She’ll go out of her way just to make sure that she knows exactly what we need to work on so that she can speak up to the coaches on behalf of the players. She’s just a hard worker and is just super inspiring, and especially for a Lower like me, she’s just someone you really want to look up to and be like Lilly when you’re older.”
Feeney focuses on leading by keeping the energy up during games.
“I think with Sophia being in the net as a goalie, it’s kind of my job to make sure the bench is positive and on the ice the energy is up. I think I try to motivate people by leading by example and not be hypocritical in any way,” said Feeney,
After making it to the semi-finals last year, Feeney hopes to recreate the success this season.
“We made a run at the Championship last year coming in to the semi-finals for the first time in over ten years, so making it that far and further is definitely a goal we all have. And of course, beating [Phillips Academy Exeter] is always on the top of our list,” said Feeney.
