Heading into the female hockey portion of the 2018 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games in Deer Lake the focus was squarely on Abby Newhook of St. John’s.
Ask around the rink and her name was the one on everyone’s list when discussing who held the mantle of the tournament’s top player.
Some other players creeped into the discussion, but for the most part, Abby was at the top of the list.
The 14-year-old captain of the St. John’s North squad isn’t worried about that, though.
She’s more focused on playing the game. She can’t control what’s being said around the glass.
What she can control is what happens on the ice, and it happens she’s darn good at it.
“I’ve just got to go out and play my game. Not worry about what other people say,” said Abby.
In a 5-1 victory over Mount Pearl South Thursday afternoon at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex, Abby flashed the skills that had people raving about her ability leading into the Games.
A strong skater, she routinely rushed the puck and made some impressive moves with it. Other times, she used some strong edge work on her skates to get into open areas on the ice and found teammates with a crisp pass.
Abby displayed a strong nose for the puck each time she went over the boards. If she managed to lose it, she made sure it wouldn’t be long before she had the puck again.
She ended the game with four goals and an assist, but could have had more if not for the stellar play of goaltender Grace Hatcher.
If the Newhook surname is familiar to some hockey fans, it is with good reason. The game is strong in her family.
Her brother Alex is one of the top scorers in the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League as a 17-year-old and is one of the top-ranked players in his class. Meanwhile, her father Shawn is fifth all-time in St. John’s Junior Hockey League scoring, with 235 points as a member of the Junior Celtics.
Her mother Paula is no athletic slouch, either. She played soccer and water polo at the university level and is now a long-distance runner.
Abby was in her first year with the St. John’s Hitmen of the provincial peewee AAA league when I first saw her play.
It was an early season game in Harbour Grace in the frigid S.W. Moores Memorial Stadium and they were playing the Tri-Pen Ice.
For 45 minutes, a then 11-year-old Abby controlled the pace of play with an impressive display of skating, puck handling and vision.
At times, she was the best player on the ice for either team.
I can’t remember how many times she found the score sheet, but given what I remember as being a lopsided St. John’s victory, she probably picked up a few points.
In Deer Lake, she’s playing a different game than everybody else. Abby routinely thinks body position first before thinking puck control.
Multiple times in Thursday’s contest, she initiated contact with her defender and shielded the puck by using her body.
It is a byproduct of her playing exclusively male hockey on the island for the last couple of years as a member of the St. John’s Hitmen. This season she is the captain of the bantam AAA team.
“It’s always body first and body positioning around the puck,” said Abby. “I’m used to going into the corners and expecting contact.”
A commit to Boston College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, she knows she needs to keep working as her career progresses.
She’d like to get faster, improve her foot speed and her conditioning.
Being able to say she’s committed to being an Eagle in the near future is cool and everything, but Abby is squarely focused on the now.
“You have to keep improving to play at that level and compete at that level,” she said. “Looking ahead is cool … but I know there’s a lot of work left to get there.”
Nicholas Mercer is the online editor with The Western Star. He lives in Corner Brook and can be reached at [email protected]
