As many are reminded often, it's a small world.
Nikki Petrich certainly knows that.
Petrich, formerly the girls head coach at Canton High School, was looking to jump from the MIAA to the NEPSAC to tackle a new challenge.
The perfect opportunity came along as Lawrence Academy searched for a new girls hockey coach.
"Similar to how I got involved at Canton, it really wasn't on my radar at all," said Petrich, who played four years of college hockey at Northeastern, serving as captain during her senior season in 2007-08. "There's such a strong Northeastern connection throughout Lawrence, and a lot of my friends outside of hockey went there. I think they were just looking for the right person at the right time, and it came about through word of mouth."
Petrich, who also played at Shattuck-St. Mary's, has always maintained a student-athlete's mindset, preparing for the next level. Like a lot of student-athletes she'll eventually coach, she knew she found the right fit when she stepped onto Lawrence Academy's campus.
"I absolutely wanted to coach at this level and just fell in love with Lawrence when I toured the campus," Petrich said. "It's funny, that's what I tell all my girls. In essence, you know when you go somewhere. You'll feel it and know you want to be there.
"When I was walking around the campus, speaking with Kevin Potter, seeing the kids interact with each other and being able to have conversations with them, I just felt welcome and ready to get to work."
Eventually, Petrich learned she got the job. She will succeed Potter (Pascoag, R.I.), Lawrence's athletic director who will stay on Petrich's staff as an assistant coach.
It's a step Petrich, a former assistant at Austin Prep, feels she's ready to take. She led Canton to a 17-4-1 season last year, making it to the MIAA Division 2 quarterfinals. The season before, the Bulldogs went 19-3-4, reaching the D2 championship, where they fell to Duxbury.
"My time at Austin Prep prepared me for my time at Canton, which I think will prepare me for this next role," she said. "I always talk about the experience off the ice, the connections and relationships with the girls and the families. I'm a firm believer that translates into success on the ice. Just speaking from my experience at Austin Prep, that last year we went 27-0. We did a lot of team bonding things off the ice and really got to know our families, took the time to actually care about the girls, so much so that I still talk to and see them.
"From my time at Canton, I'll take a tough environment being resilient and still being able to be myself and be the type of coach that I am, still being able to be true to myself and not change to be what someone else wanted. I think that really helped me understand what type of coach I really want to be."
The emphasis on bonding and establishing connections with players and families is a major component of Petrich's plan for sustained success at Lawrence. It's what goes into an accepting culture that creates an exceptional team experience, in her eyes.
"I believe you have to make someone feel wanted and genuinely want to help them be better," she said. "You need to be able to really listen to what a young woman and her family want and make sure everyone feels included. When the girls come to Lawrence Academy, it's not just them. It's their entire family. I take pride in remembering their siblings, what they do, where they're from, what they like, their sports teams, their candy. You genuinely have to care about someone and their family.
"Then it's reciprocated, right? In my experience, you see it reciprocated on the ice. They know that you're giving your all to them, and therefore they'll give you their maximum effort. It usually leads to great results. ... When you see that, people now want to join the fun. They want to be a part of this awesome thing that you're building and creating, and automatically the wins happen."
Petrich, who works in sales for her day job, feels that background can give her a leg up in recruiting, too.
"I think that's part of what attracted me to [Lawrence] and them to me," she said. "Prep school costs a lot of money. I think a lot of times, people are uncomfortable having that conversation, but I'm not because we have to have it. For me, that comes sooner rather than later because the worst possible thing is [a recruit and the school] fall in love with each other, but then there's this shock of 'Oh my gosh, I thought we were going to have more money,' or 'I thought you'd be able to give us more money.'
"I don't think that's a great recipe. I don't think that's being honest and open with the families that you're recruiting."
Lawrence went 4-21-0 last season, failing to qualify for the postseason. In 2023, the Spartans finished 13-12-3 and reached the Small School Tournament.
There are areas of improvement that immediately stand out Petrich.
Lawrence, who rostered just 16 players, lost nine games by two or fewer goals last season, including five one-goal games. They scored more than two goals just six times.
"We have to score goals, and we have to be prepared and focused every single game," Petrich said. I've watched almost every single game last year, and in some of the close games, the goals against were just mental errors. We fell asleep. At this level and as you move up, when you make that mistake, a good team is going to capitalize.
"We have a few more young women joining the team, so we'll have a few more legs. At times last year, we were really shorthanded. To lose some of those games only by one goal is a feat in itself. But now we'll have more bodies. We have to be prepared to play the entirety of the game. Scoring more goals is easier said than done, but when you have the mindset and mentality of goal-scoring and hunting the puck, it starts to happen naturally. Those things will be implemented during practice."
Among the incomers that Petrich is excited about is Courtney Shifrin (Southborough, Mass.), who had 10 goals and 20 points in 24 games as a freshman forward at Algonquin-Hudson last season. There's also East Coast Wizards forward Violet Safari (Wayland, Mass.) and Boston Jr. Eagles defender Lexi Hinck (Arlington, Mass.). Forward Kailey Hannon (Westford, Mass.) enters the fold after a 22-point, 13-goal season as a junior at Westford Academy.
There are key returners who Petrich feels she can get more out of as well.
Leading scorer Geena Cookinham (Gilmanton Iron Works, NH) is back for her senior season, in which she will serve as co-captain, fresh off a 16-goal, 19-point campaign. Kayla Rice (Walpole, Mass.) is coming off a nine-assist season. A versatile skater, who can play forward and defense, Rice will also be co-captain.
"Geena is a goal-scorer naturally, but I definitely feel like I could bring something else out of her, like, can we have her be a goal-scorer and a playmaker?" Petrich said. "Kayla, this is a big season for her to get on the scoreboard, have a couple more assists and a couple more plays.
One of the biggest keys for Lawrence could be Nuala Gibbs. The speedy, tenacious forward had just three goals and six points as a sophomore last season but has all the tools for a breakout season.
"She's just amazing on the ice," Petrich said. "She can fly. She has great puck control and a great shot. I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can bring out of her and the contribution she can make to the team once she starts to get that confidence. I feel like a piano will be lifted off of her back when the goals start coming."
One thing is for sure: Petrich's teams will play hard.
"We have to work hard. I don't care what the score is. Really, I don't," she said. "I want maximum effort, and that doesn't necessarily mean skating 500 miles per hour. ... My team will always be prepared. We will always work hard until the absolute end. I think I've shown that. Just look at that last game in Canton. We were down twice in the quarterfinals, forced overtime and forced double overtime. I think there's a 'never give up' component. When I want something, it might not happen right now, but it will happen eventually.
"That will be happening at Lawrence. We will be in the playoffs next year. That's just my mindset because I don't know how else to work. Our practices will be very, very tough so that in a game, we're ready to go. That mindset just also prepares you for life."
