Small goalie makes big impact on ice

Emma gains support of teammates, fans

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the opposing team grabs the puck and skates down the ice in a breakaway, parents and fans of the Arapahoe Warriors 10U Yellow team, or Golden Eagles, take a collective breath. As the goalie falls on the puck to secure the save, parents scream, “Good job, Emma.”

While those same parents are there to cheer on their own children, Emma Preston has quickly become a crowd favorite in the 2022-23 season.

While one could argue Emma may be one of the smallest members of the team, no one doubts she stands up to the pressure of having the biggest job on the ice as the lone goalie.

Emma is the lone girl on the 10-and-under team that is part of the Arapahoe Warriors recreational hockey program, which plays teams all over the Front Range.

“As a coaching sta , I’m not sure we’ve seen a goalie at this age level that has quicker lateral movement across the goalie crease,” said Head Coach Christopher Castelli. “Her ability to shu e from one side of the net to the other in the butter y position is second to none.”

For the Eagles, many of the players are in their rst year of competitive play, including Emma.

Emma said she got into hockey by watching the sport with her dad, noting that her favorite player is Marc-André Fleury, the goalie for the

Minnesota Wild in the NHL.

Emma said watching Fleury made her want to try her hand at being goalie. She started training and joined the Eagles for a season that hasn’t always been easy.

“I really like getting out there and stopping the shots,” Emma said. “It’s hard but I want to keep working.”

At the start of the season as the new young team was coming together, many games fell on Emma’s shoulders. e Eagles faced some tough, lopsided losses in the early going.

“It can be hard, especially when the other team gets on a breakaway,” Emma said. “As the team has gotten better it feels good because there is less pressure on me.”

Castelli said Emma’s positivity is infectious.

“During game intermissions, we have one-on-one chats about clearing the mind and having a positive thought process when she’s in the net,” he said.” In fact, she writes motivational quotes on her goalie pads to remind herself that we as a team believe in her and that she believes in herself.”

As the Eagles have improved on defense and as shooters Dennis Lisunov, who leads the team with 43 goals, and Lewis Chan started getting in a rhythm on their respective lines, the team is starting to win more games, even the close ones that would slip away in the nal seconds early in the season.

A season momentum builder came during the Arvada tournament in December. In a tough game, the Eagles pushed the score to a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation. For tournament placement, the game cannot end in a tie, requiring a shootout.

Emma said she got a little stressed before the shootout. e Eagles started with three shots, with two of the players hitting it in to relieve some of Emma’s pressure. However, after blocking one shot, Emma missed two