Rising Loomis Chaffee senior Lindsay Stepnowski racked up personal awards last season: NEPSAC girls hockey player of the year, Elite 8 MVP and All-New England recognition.
Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) scored almost a goal per game through the season and had five in just three games in the Elite 8 tournament. Although her season was among the best in recent NEPSAC history, those personal accolades pale in comparison for Stepnowski to the ultimate award she and her team earned, a New England-shaped championship trophy.
The Harvard commit and her team captured the first NEPSAC title for Loomis Chaffee since 1989 and gave longtime head coach Liz Leyden her first championship in 16 years as the bench boss.
Stepnowski drove the Loomis offense in their three playoff games, scoring five goals and adding an assist en route to being named Elite 8 MVP. She reached new heights when the games mattered the most.
“Last year (Stepnowski) really elevated her play, especially in the playoffs,” Leyden said. “She had more points in a season than any kid I’ve had in recent memory. In the playoffs, she was dominant and unstoppable.”
Stepnowski was quick to credit linemates Chloe Obser and Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.). Obser is about to begin her freshman season at RPI, and Lachance is playing a postgrad season with NAHA before heading to Colby College.
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“I leaned on the work I did all season with my two linemates,” Stepnowski said. “We work so hard to create chemistry, and it clicked in the playoffs, which worked out well for us. … It wasn’t just about me, it’s about all the people that were on the ice with me. In pressure moments, I think I do play my best hockey. I just really wanted to win, and the whole team was on the same page.”
Stepnowski has been on a hockey-oriented path since she was 6 years old, the age she began training with I Play Harder (IPH), a Connecticut-based youth hockey academy. IPH instilled the value of dedication to her craft on the ice. She carried this with her through her youth career and into what has now become a storied run at Loomis Chaffee.
“I would not be the player I am without them,” Stepnowski said.
Leyden delivered glowing praise for her star player, not just about her on-ice abilities, but in how she carries herself off the ice as a role model for younger players on the team and kids who come to cheer on the Pelicans.
Stepnowski will be one of three captains on this year's team.
“I think she’s such a good representative of a kid for the game,” Leyden said. “When you think about who you want younger kids looking up to, she has all those attributes.”
Stepnowski has a dynamic, elite skill-set with the puck on her stick that she uses to slow down the game around her. Her vision and playmaking skills work in tandem with her ability to rip the puck at any corner of the net from any spot. Leyden knows her star player can create offense at any time — even when it looks like there isn’t any space.
As the senior enters her final year at Loomis, Leyden is focused on finding ways to help her improve the off-ice intangibles that are important at the college level.
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“I think for any kid that’s transitioning to college … it’s the mental side of the game, it’s taking care of your body, it’s those pieces,” Leyden said. “She’s spent a lot of time on those, but I think that’s always what I work with any senior on, it’s being ready when you take that next step up, (having) the mental resilience to be confident in yourself enough to succeed at that next level.”
Stepnowski's preparation on the ice will go hand-in-hand with her academic focus, making sure she’s prepared for Harvard’s academic intensity. Stepnowski feels Loomis Chaffee is the perfect place to prepare her for Harvard.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to say I’m going to Harvard,” Stepnowski said. “I think as far as Loomis, the ability … to go to such a good school, their academics are unbeatable, but also athletics, they really focus on preparing kids for the collegiate level.”
After a historic campaign for Loomis, it will now have a target on its back as the team everyone else wants to dethrone. As a captain, Stepnowski is focused on keeping her team prepared for the intensity that comes with defending a championship.
“We have an amazing group of seniors who all have the experience from last year with winning a title,” Stepnowski said. “We know what it takes to do that, and we have an amazing group of freshmen coming in, so being able to do what we did last year, (it’s) just reminding the new kids how much dedication it takes.”
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While Stepnowski is focused on the group, Leyden wants to make sure the Harvard commit isn’t feeling too much pressure.
“I think that she, just like so many other kids, puts internal pressure on herself,” Leyden said. “We talk a lot about being present, being in the moment, and she’s just so excited to be with the team again and play.
“As long as she can focus on that, I think she’ll be in a really good spot.”
