Hall fulfills lifelong dream

by Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

It’s a typical winter morning for Avery Hall. Early wakeup calls are nothing new for the St. Mary’s High School goaltender.


She’s up early, getting that extra work in to become not just good, but great. The weather outside is considered warm considering how cold the ice rink is. Those 20 degree mornings are worth it for a young lady who continues to put in the work so she can realize her dreams of playing college hockey.

“I’ve really had to learn how to manage my time in an efficient way between school work, travel hockey and whatever sport is in season,” stated Hall. “On many nights I go from school, to school practice/game and then right to the rink for travel practice. I utilize study halls to get most of my homework done.”

It’s not just about getting the work done on the ice. It’s also about training and dieting right. Hall makes sure she hits the gym and works on certain exercises that will help her on the ice. She also makes sure she eats right.

It’s pretty easy for a high school student to eat junk all the time. Hall now watches what she eats before and after games, She makes sure she eats a good breakfast, anything she can to do to feel batter and get that extra edge.

When off the ice, Hall is watching a lot of film so she can see what she needs to work on to improve her game. She also plays soccer and lacrosse for St. Mary’s, two programs that have won Monsignor Martin titles.

“I really focus on what I put into my body, I have completely changed my eating habits and focus what I should be eating before and after games and practices. I always start my day out with a good breakfast,” stated Hall. “I also go to the gym and work on goalie specific exercises that help me on the ice. Besides hockey I also play Soccer and Lacrosse which help me stay in shape and build my endurance. I spend most of my week on the ice or watching film of my games which has a huge impact on how I play.”

All her hard work has paid off as Hall recently committed to play college hockey at Johnson & Wales. As she was going through the process, Hall just felt like Johnson & Wales was the right fit for her. Between the style of play, and the coaching staff, everything fell into place.

Hall also learned she can handle the pressure of playing big time hockey. During the process, Hall was being watched by college coaches every game. Her every moved was being watched, her every great save, and bad goal.

Then after games, Hall had to meet with those same coaches that were watching her play throughout the game. Talk about a lot of pressure to put on someone.

“I think my decision mostly came from the culture of the team. I feel like coach Maddy’s coaching style is very unique in a way that she will be very compassionate off the ice, which will help seeing as i’ll be so far from home. However on the ice she’ll push me outside of my comfort zone. I also feel like the girls that I met on the team were very welcoming and excited to apart of the team,” stated Hall. “I learned that I can work extremely well under pressure. During the recruiting process I was being watch by many coaches. I understood that they were watching my every move, how i reacted to both positive and negative plays, how I interacted with my teammates, the refs and other players. Then off the ice, I then had to meet with these same coaches and express myself clearly and have confidence. That was a pressure packed situation, I learned that I cannot only handle pressure but thrive in it.”

With her commitment in the rearview mirror, Hall can now just focus on the having fun and playing the game she loves. She no longer needs to worry about all the coaches in the stands watching her

Now, she can just go out there and do what she knows how to do, stop the puck.

“It’s definitely a relief. However I’m working just as hard to be a good teammate,” stated Hall. “Just because I have committed my level of play hasn’t changed.”

As the high school season is in full swing, Hall is one of the lucky ones. St. Mary’s has its own team, and are not part of the Monsignor Martin squad. This allows Hall to be able to play with girls from her school.

It also allows her to win a championship with those same girls, something they did during her junior season.

“I love playing for my school, I think that the team especially has a better connection than any other team in the league. I came into a brand new program freshman year, it was difficult losing games and playing with only one and half lines,” stated Hall. “To go on and win the Monsignor Martin Championship my junior showed how far the program has grown. To be apart of that accomplishment, is something I won’t forget. All our hard work has paid off.”