Pilgrim High School alumni and former Lady Titans player Madison Balutowski is returning to the ice. This time as one of the youngest coaches of the Warwick co-op hockey team.

Balutowski was part of the Lady Titans team during her years at Pilgrim, and then played at the University of Rhode Island before graduating in May 2020.

In an interview, Balutowski explains she started playing hockey in Warwick at the age of three. “I’m definitely looking forward to giving back to the team as a coach. I was able to give a lot as a player.”

In high school, she was the captain of the Lady Titans as a junior and senior, as well as the leading goal scorer in the state with 111 total career goals. At URI, Balutowski was also the captain of the team as a junior and senior, and one of the top players in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. In college, she was scouted for the World Juniors game, and USA Olympic hockey team.

Balutowski is most looking forward to sharing the lessons she’s learned with Warwick students. “The life lessons you learn playing the sport are important. Your team becomes your family, in like a sisterhood, and everyone in the locker room becomes an extended family,” she said in an interview. “The minute you step on that ice, nothing outside the boards matters anymore, you have the same common goal of doing the absolute best.”

Balutowski will be coaching alongside Don Centracchio, the official head coach, and Jim Kennedy, a physical education teacher at Toll Gate High School.

“Warwick actually reached out to me to coach,” said Balutowski. “I had no plans to do it originally, but they’ve asked me since I graduated Pilgrim and I just didn’t have time while I was at URI.”

She said the Lady Titans team had previously been in a bad spot, with low interest from prospective players, resorting to asking figure skaters and other athletes to join the team. “Hopefully we can get them back on a championship route,” she said. “There’s a lot of young talent on the team now, and with a little bit of coaching they’ll be able to compete at the higher level.”

Balutowksi is excited to return to Warwick and her hockey roots. The hockey season has recently been given the green light by the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) to operate under COVID restrictions. The opening game is Friday, Jan. 29 at Thayer Arena against the Cranston/East Greenwich girls’ co-op team.