Tina Scalese has arrived. Groton has at the same time.
The Zebras reached the Small School tournament championship for the second straight season in 2024.
It also was their second straight season losing the final game of the year to New Hampton.
But Groton firmly has momentum on its side, entering its fifth season under Tim LeRoy. After COVID-19 squelched LeRoy’s first season in 2021, the Zebras went 8-5-5 in 2022, improving upon a 4-17-0 finish in 2020. They built on that success into an 18-4-4 run in 2023 before going 18-6-2 last winter.
“We started four or five years ago kind of at the bottom, and we had to work our way up,” LeRoy said. “That first run where we had a good season, we knew we had the kids in place to get us pretty far, but we didn’t know how far we’d go. Last year, we had similar expectations but even higher goals. That disappointment hit harder last year, losing that game, but the realization was also like, ‘We can do this. We can compete with the best and be in this situation every year.’ ”
No player has had a bigger hand in Groton’s ascent than Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.).
Entering her junior season, the assistant captain has led the Zebras in scoring each year since stepping foot on campus as an eighth-grader ahead of 2021-22. She currently sits at 112 points (57 goals) in 70 career games.
LeRoy called her a “program-changer” entering last season, but it wasn’t just one single moment that led to that appreciation.
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“She’s continuously just getting better, and she's getting stronger,” LeRoy said. “She's finding ways to change her game. That ‘program-changing’ moment has kind of been a development, but I think it's also because Tina, individually, is a hell of a player. She can change games in a moment. But the more and more I've seen over the past couple years is that she's brought the team together a bit more. She pushes kids on our team to be better, and pushes kids around her to work harder because it's hard to compete against her.”
For Scalese, that competitive drive started at a young age.
“I have an older brother who I’ve always wanted to beat in everything since we were little,” she said. “I’d say I’ve been competitive my entire life because of him. When I get on the ice, it just kind of translates.”
Even though Scalese scored two points per game as a freshman in 2023 (23 goals, 42 points in 26 games), LeRoy feels last winter is when others around NEPSAC truly started to take notice of her.
Her sights were set even higher entering the season, telling LeRoy she wanted to lead the league in points.
Scalese did just that. Her 51 points (25 goals) were enough to lead the ISL, beating Nobles’ Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) by a point. Scalese also finished third in NEPSAC in scoring. She earned ISL All-League and first-team All-NEPSAC honors.
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“That’s a big thing for someone to say, and she found a way to do it,” LeRoy said. “It was definitely a breakout year. Tina’s very similar to our group. For a couple years, we’ve been kind of getting going and had some good runs. Now, everyone’s going to know when Tina’s on the ice, and everyone’s going to know when Groton comes to the rink.”
Scalese gives much of the credit to her linemates, senior Colgate commit Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) and fellow junior Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.).
“We work together really well, and we trust each other each year,” she said. “It's getting better and better. I wouldn’t have any of the success I do now if it weren’t for them.”
Cronan also finished as a top-10 scorer in prep last season with 40 points (15 goals). Trudell broke out for 22 points (10 goals). If Groton scored, there was a high chance it came from their line.
The three are set to run it back this winter.
“I’m beyond excited. I can’t wait,” Scalese said. “It’s definitely something special, not only on the ice, but we’re also best friends off the ice. Jaelyn is my closest friend. She’s in my grade. I’ve known Maddie since I was 5 years old. Our whole team’s really close, but especially the three of us. It just translates onto the ice when we get out there.”
While Scalese’s offensive skill and production are what jump off the page, what helps set her apart in LeRoy’s eyes are her details in all three zones and her continued improvement, be it her vision of the ice or her strength. Standing at 5-foot-3, Scalese always has had to play above her size.
“She's someone who always wants the best, and that’s not a flaw. It’s something I appreciate,” LeRoy said. “She never takes drills off. She never settles. She gets frustrated when she's not playing well. She gets frustrated with simple things, like missing the net. She wants to make sure she does everything well because she knows … if she's taking a drill off, it's going to affect her teammates. If she misses the net, it's not helping her, and it's not helping (goalie) Nora (Wilson), for example. She's so well-rounded to kind of think about the big picture, not just not just herself.”
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For Scalese, it’s all about finding a way to leave her mark on the game, no matter if the points are coming.
“I always try to remind myself, do one good thing each shift, whether it's chipping the puck out of the zone, backchecking or just getting out there and impacting the play in a positive way each shift,” she said. “Even if you can't score, you can still win a battle in the corner, get a shot on net or screen the goalie. Those little things start to build up. If everyone does one good thing each shift, it'll pick up and translate into scoring goals.”
Scalese, who made USA Hockey’s Under-18 Select Camp in the offseason, recently parlayed her success into a commitment to Princeton. Her choice became clear after experiencing the campus multiple times.
“It was kind of just how I felt when I was on campus, like, I know this is the place I want to be for those four years,” she said. “I had been on campus numerous times before, too, so it just clicked.”
The exciting part for LeRoy is knowing how high Scalese’s ceiling could be at Groton and beyond.
“Coming to Groton as a 13-year-old, she wanted to play on the first line and lead the team in points, and I think she has the same goals and expectations for Princeton,” he said. “She’s talked about going to Princeton and finding ways to contribute right away. She wants to win a national championship there. She wants to hopefully one day be on the Olympic radar.
“As a coach, that’s the exciting part because you want to find ways to help her achieve those goals.”
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Before any of that, though, LeRoy has the privilege of having two more seasons of Scalese at Groton.
She and the Zebras have unfinished business.
“Ever since I’ve been here, it’s been getting better and better each year,” Scalese said. “The culture is getting stronger. We’re just building each year. It’s really exciting.
“We’re hungry this year. We’re determined. It’s been two years in a row, so now it’s time that we bring it home when it matters.”
