Madison Balutowski may have cemented herself as the best high school girls’ hockey player in Rhode Island history this year.
The senior captain surpassed the all-time goals scored record …
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Madison Balutowski may have cemented herself as the best high school girls’ hockey player in Rhode Island history this year.
The senior captain surpassed the all-time goals scored record with 111 career tallies.
“She’s basically made herself into the hockey player she became, working on the parts of her game that needed improvement,” Warwick Co-op head coach Dave Tibbetts said.
She made history in style, too. She entered the Division I semifinals against the Barrington/Mt. Hope/Portsmouth Co-op with 106 goals, two short of tying the record. She recorded a hat trick in Game 1 to tie and break the record on the same night.
She added two more in Game 2 to give herself some insurance. Improvements on her shot have helped her improve from a good player to an elite one.
“Honestly, I’m always out on the ice early, every day, just working on my shot, ’cause I always want to give my team the best effort I can,” Balutowski said after Game 2 in March. “I’ve taken my shot so far in the four years that it just feels amazing that I contribute this much right now.”
“She finds another gear, and in the playoffs she found another gear,” Tibbetts said.
Balutowski will start her college career at the University of Rhode Island in the fall, joining a Division I club hockey team that is often among the top five teams in the country. The lead-by-example star will have to adjust, but there is little doubt she can’t make an immediate impact in Kingston.
“The speed of the game is gonna be different,” Tibbetts said. “She’s gonna be starting off at the bottom of the totem pole, but she’s a smart hockey player. She’ll work hard on her physicality, it’s a longer season. I’m sure she’ll put herself in a position to succeed just like in high school.”
-J.M.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dave Tibbetts, Warwick Co-op
ALL CITY TEAM
Kelsey Holmes, TG, F
Alyssa Mathews, TG, F/D
Mariana Brawn, WV, F
Caroline Henn, TG, D
Natasha Savage, WV, D
Rebecca Yaseen, TG, G
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