NDCL gets boost from returnee

Opening faceoff honors Jan. 13 in Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s game at its annual MLK tournament against Chagrin Falls went to a senior center.

That part of it shouldn’t be a big deal — and if all parties involved had their way, neither would the fact that senior center is a girl playing against boys in high school hockey.

Kate Ferry wants the same treatment as everyone else — and it’s that kind of selflessness that makes her return to the ice for the Lions that much of a boost.

“Actually, I really like it,” Ferry said of competing against boys. “It is definitely challenging for sure, because they are very fast and it is a very physical game. So I definitely have to keep my head up. But I think I play well against them. I do my own thing out there.”

As NDCL seeks to remain competitive in the White South this year, its roster numbers are driven in large part by a nine-player senior class. As a White or Blue team in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League, that can be a blessing and a curse, because it may mean a veteran squad in the present but a short bench or struggling to field a team at all in the future.

Ferry nearly wasn’t a part of that senior group, having elected to not play for the Lions as a junior after being on the team as a freshman and sophomore.

“I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go,” Ferry said. “I wasn’t sure if I want to keep playing, so I figured, ‘Why not try girls (hockey) again?’ But ultimately, I really liked playing boys a lot better, because it’s more physical and a lot more aggressive.

“It’s a lot of fun definitely. I think for sure, taking a break and coming back has helped me grow as a player. And I think I’m just playing a new game. All of the new players on my team, it’s definitely a fun year for me.”

Ferry’s love for the sport can be traced all across the youth ranks — and all across Cleveland and Ohio, for that matter.

“I started skating around when I was 4, and I’ve been playing ever since,” Ferry said. “I switched around actually to quite a few teams. I started in Parma. I ended up in Strongsville, Gilmour, and then I actually decided to play girls hockey. So I went to the Flames, and from there, I went to a Cincinnati girls travel team. And then I decided, for my last year, I actually wanted to play boys again.

“I always loved playing the game. I’ve always loved watching it. I adore (Penguins star) Sidney Crosby. So I love playing the game, and I just want to keep going

from there.”

Ferry started the year as a winger and, as the Lions tweaked their lines, eventually found her way to center, a position the senior says she “loves.”

NDCL had a rough go of it at its MLK tournament, going 0-3, and sits at 6-12-1 on the season. After graduating dynamic scorers in recent years such as Joe Iademarco and Jaret Cipollone, the Lions are rebuilding around Connor Zoul and Trent Szmania.

They have 16 players this year, but with more than half of that group being seniors, some hallway recruiting might have to be done in order to supplement numbers going forward.

“For this year, they definitely came around,” Ferry said. “They asked me to play again this year, and I know I started asking some of my friends just to see if they would come out.

“So I definitely think the boys are going to be going around and asking players for next year.”

Longtime Lions coach Paul Bilyk is glad Ferry listened when the overtures came to return to the fold.

“It’s been fun to have Kate back with us this year,” Bilyk said. “She’s really doing everything we ask for her. She’s a very cerebral hockey player.

“And we just try to look at her as a hockey player that happens to be a girl. She does the things that we ask her to do. It would be nice to see her get a few more bounces. She’s been really close a whole bunch of times this year. Hopefully, the bounces are coming here as we move into the stuff that counts.”

Taking an opening faceoff is an honor — but lighting the lamp, even once, would be icing on the cake as Ferry continues her long but fruitful journey.

“It would be awesome,” Ferry said. “It’s been so frustrating, because I am always ready, always willing, already there to score.

“And I just need to be patient. I’ve just need to get it on my stick and just rip it.”

Ferry