Regardless of how her team’s lines shake out this season, Phillips Exeter coach Sally Komarek knows she has an old reliable combination to pull out of her back pocket.
Well, actually, not that old.
The Big Red counted upon now-junior Maria Gray in a big way last season and will certainly do so again. But the talented left winger, who recently committed to play collegiately at Vermont, shouldered the load while forming a line with two first-year players in Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) and Erin Sears (Bridport, Vt.).
“For Maria, it’s never about points or goals, it’s about how she can be the biggest impact player on our team,” Komarek said. “Despite (Gray and her linemates) being on the younger side, they helped lead our offense at 5-on-5 and on the power play and also held their own on the defensive end.”
While the coach says being on the scoresheet may not be Gray’s biggest goal, she also did lead the way in that department.
As a sophomore, Gray recorded 26 points en route to earning All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention honors, finishing as the team’s leading scorer for the second time in as many seasons. She netted 16 goals, including two on the power play.
How does Gray do it? Having one of the best shots her coach has ever seen helps.
“My gosh, her ability to release the puck is just insane,” Komarek said. “Her shot is incredibly quick, it’s deceptive, and it’s just so accurate.”
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Playing a leadership role in a rising program, though, is even more exciting to the Wisconsin native as she looks to help Exeter build upon making its first Large School Tournament appearance since 2009 last season.
“We’re really excited to get the season going because we made a really big step for our program last year,” Gray said. “A lot of players stepped up and had some big games. … For myself, I want to be able to be more of a leader this year to help the team in that way too, and just carry on the skills that I’ve had in the past and new ones I was able to get through the summer.”
Aside from the numbers amidst a historic season, it’s hard to quantify the impact Gray has on the team both on and off the ice.
“Maria has been just such a solid player from day one,” Komarek said. “She skates and plays and sees the ice with such maturity and has such a great offensive instinct. … She illustrates how you can be an effective player, regardless of what year you are. I’m super excited heading into her first season as an upperclass player, the way that she’s really taking the younger kids under her wing and setting a tone of hard work.”
As far as being a leader is concerned, Gray got a taste of it in her role mentoring her linemates a season ago, who Komarek believes stand out for their vision on the ice.
She found herself reflecting on everything learned from Shauna Vadeboncoeur (Brentwood, N.H.) and Jocelyn Orr, her two freshman year linemates who have ascended to college careers at Brown and St. Olaf, respectively. Both were in the upper classes at the time.
There was plenty to learn back then that came in handy while taking peers under her wing now.
“They were already great players and had the skill, but I almost had to bring them in a little more knowing that they could be playing against girls who were four years older,” Gray said of Meyer and Sears. “Now, we already have a connection with each other and they know what to expect from having a year of prep school hockey (under their belts).”
Looking back, Gray believes playing with such young, talented linemates helped her own game as well.
“When I was a freshman, I got to listen and learn, but last year I was able to teach,” she added. “On the ice, I like to have the puck on my stick a lot, but they helped me become more aware of my surroundings because I could trust them and we trusted each other.”
There is plenty of hockey for Gray to play with the Big Red between now and her jump to the college level, but officially committing last month marked a step towards the future.
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Finding the right fit is so crucial in going through the college process, which is exactly what Gray believe
s she found in Burlington with the Catamounts, who the Exeter team got to watch play in a Hockey East game at nearby New Hampshire last season.
The puck-possession style that Vermont showcased stood out to Komarek and fits Gray’s game. A visit to campus provided even more.
“(The campus and Burlington) are really pretty, and the way they practiced and the values that the team had was something that I looked for,” Gray said. “Hearing their plans for the future and how they develop players sold me on it.”
For now, though, Komarek is about the future that lies ahead in Exeter, including the prospects of putting together the Gray-Meyer-Sears line for two more seasons.
“It was so awesome for our program to have them together,” the coach said. “We’ll see what this season brings and what combinations are best, but I think (reuniting that line) would be pretty lethal.”
