Steph Holmes remembers the quote posted in the locker room during her own prep school playing days, at least the last line of it: “The character you build is yours forever.”
Those were formative days for Holmes at Berkshire School a decade-and-a-half ago, where one of her teammates was future U.S. Olympian Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.). Her coach, Lori Charpentier, made it a priority not just to win games, but to give girls a voice, promote their game, and teach values and strengths that would stay with them beyond hockey.
“That quote was in the locker room and part of the dialogue when I played for her at Berkshire,” said Holmes. “Lori made it very clear that the mindset and habits you cultivate playing hockey serve you in your endeavors for the rest of your lives.”
Charpentier, a prep school coach for 27 years, the last decade as the head coach at Brooks School, made the decision to step down at the conclusion of this past season. Taking over is Holmes, her former player and assistant coach at the North Andover, Mass., school for five years.
“She was a phenomenal player and a phenomenal leader,” said Charpentier (Bedford, Mass.). “Just to see her develop into the woman she is today … it’s great because the girls, I’ve been able to grow and develop them, but Steph is younger and more knowledgeable and more energetic. And she is competitive.”
Holmes traces her hockey influences back to her Berkshire days, not just to Bellamy and Charpentier, but Lori’s husband, Dean Charpentier, an assistant coach with the team who became a mentor.
“Anytime I needed advice, I’d go to Dean right up,” she said.
After their time together at Berkshire, Holmes went on to play with Bellamy for two more years at the University of New Hampshire, reaching a Frozen Four. Holmes concluded her playing career at Cornell, then spent four years coaching Greenwich Academy before arriving at Brooks.
“Kacey has always been incredibly determined,” said Holmes. “She’s one of those players that sets goals and nothing gets in the way of her reaching those goals.”
Holmes spent last season away from coaching, completing a master’s degree in social work from Boston University. At Brooks, she is the director of student wellness, and also serves as a dorm parent and school counselor, and is on the Diversity Leadership Council.
“One of the advantages of taking over right now is that I’m still involved in so many areas of student life,” she said. “I know the kids really well so I think that will help make it a smooth transition.”
She comes from a hockey family (youngest brother Matt will be a sophomore at Brown) and also comes from a different generation than her predecessor, one that’s seen the opportunities for girls to play in college — and even beyond — grow dramatically.
While playing on a newly created girls hockey team at Buckingham, Browne & Nichols, Charpentier could look south to Thayer Academy where future NHL stars Tony Amonte (Hingham, Mass.) and Jeremy Roenick (Marshfield, Mass.) were attracting all kinds of eyeballs.
After playing at Dartmouth, she began a coaching career that also includes a decade at Berkshire and three years as the head coach at Kimball Union Academy.
“Hockey is the only thing I’ve done (consistently) since I was 5 years old,” said Charpentier. “Coaching is what I’ve done since I’ve been in prep school. Where I’m at, from the time I started doing it and the reason I got into coaching in the first place, was to grow the girls game.
“I loved working with kids at camps during the summer. I felt very strongly that girls prep school hockey needed to get to the level where boys prep school hockey was.”
She was the recipient of the first-ever Girls Coach of the Year award in New England and guided Brooks to a NEPSAC postseason tournament in each of the past five years, including to the Division 2 final in 2016 and ’19. This past season saw the team go 17-7-1, losing to Cushing in the Dorothy Howard (small school) semifinals.
Hopes will be high again next season. Returning goalie Sydney Correa was named All-NEPSAC and forward Brooke Rogers, who scored nearly a goal a game, was an honorable mention. Correa and fellow senior Brianna O’Neil will serve as captains next year, with Nancy Perkins an alternate.
“I’m just so excited for the girls on the team and for Steph,” said Charpentier. “For me to be able to see her as an 11th-grader to where she is now, and the support she can give these girls as up-and-coming student athletes — and her knowledge of the game — I’m just excited for everything that’s to come for Brooks hockey.”
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
