U.S. women's hockey team inspires Long Island's female players at Portledge High School

One last game stands between the U.S. women’s ice hockey team and its third Olympics gold medal.

For the Portledge School girls ice hockey team – the only girls varsity ice hockey squad on Long Island – the Americans’ performance has been nothing short of inspiring. The U.S., searching for its first gold medal since 2018, and Canada meet in a fifth straight gold medal game at 1:10 p.m. Thursday in Milan.

“It's honestly awesome to think, because the boys have always got so much hype for hockey,” said Lily Rae Kern, a Portledge sophomore left wing from Kings Park. “And girls was just like, ‘Yeah, like, if you're a girl  . . .’

“But playing and seeing them go so far is really inspiring. Because even though I'm only 16, when I'm older, that could be something I reach for.”

Lilianna Ziegler, a freshman center from Farmingdale, said: “Just seeing how much they're winning big and seeing all the players and how they're developing and how much skill they have, it just really makes me think about my future. Maybe I could do it one day.”

The U.S. has won each of its six games at the Olympics, the most recent being Monday’s 5-0 win over Sweden in the semifinals and last Friday’s 6-0 win over Italy in the quarterfinals. The U.S. defeated Canada, 5-0, in pool play on Feb. 10.

The Americans have scored 31 goals, and goaltender Aerin Frankel, from Westchester County, has surrendered only one.

“Especially being a woman in a male-dominated sport, I think that the U.S. Olympic team really showed how women's sports can be shown all over the world, and they're winning by a lot versus all these other teams,” said Paulina Rucz, a sophomore defender from Manhattan. “So I think it's really inspirational to all the girls.”

Logan Rodabaugh, a freshman left wing from Long Beach, said: “I've definitely heard all about how they're wiping out teams.”

Frankel is the first goalie in Olympic women’s hockey history to post three shutouts in a single tournament.

“Not only is she making history with the longest shutout streak in Olympic history, but she's just such a force,” said Charlotte Parker, a freshman goalie from Port Washington. “And even though she's one of the shortest goalies in PWHL (at 5-5), she really is such a powerhouse, and she really inspires me with her skill and her athleticism.”

As a goalie herself, Parker’s favorite moments from the Olympics are an easy choice.

“How much they all adore Aerin Frankel and how they really give her a lot of love,” she said. “There's so much team camaraderie. You can hear them screaming when she makes a save, and it really shows how much chemistry they have and how that really helps them win.”

For the U.S., Hannah Bilka has a team-leading four goals and three assists. Megan Keller, Abbey Murphy and Laila Edwards each have two goals and five assists. Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra each have three goals, and Carpenter also has three assists.

Kern noted that Coyne Schofield – who became the first woman to participate in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2019, when she competed in the fastest-skater challenge – is her favorite player. She said: “That's unbelievable to see her keep going.”

While Long Island public schools are closed this week for February break, Portledge is in session Thursday. Like the Americans’ earlier games, Thursday’s final is happening during school hours.

“I try to watch as much as I can in school,” said Andi Lefkowitz, a sophomore defender from Port Washington. “I try to watch with some of my friends who don't play hockey. I love watching them.

“A lot of the girls play [for] Wisconsin, which I might want to [play] there, and I think that's really cool.”

Parker said she watched one of the team’s earlier games on her computer during lunch, and her friends “marveled at how great they are.”

But the inability to watch the entire game during the school day has presented a predicament for some.

“I think I'm just going to wait until after school,” Rucz said. “I'll just check the score after and I'll watch some highlights … I feel like I'll just get too nervous. I want them to win, so I'm not going to watch it.”

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.