Siblings on Ice

Reice Leffler quickly changes direction in pursuit of the puck during the Oct. 29 game against the Carmel Gold team. photo by Sarah Maniscalo

By Elizabeth Rexing, Print Editor Siblings onIceBrother and sister, Reice Leffler, senior, and Bostyn Leffler, junior, team up on ice to play for the Zionsville Hockey Club

Skating blades flash as players race to the puck and fight for control. Crowding students cheer and bang on the only barrier keeping them from being out competing on the ice. A late-night, fast-paced game for the Zionsville Hockey Club (ZHC), is underway against Bloomington on Oct. 3, ending in a ZHC victory, 4-1. The club, founded in 2009, is a varsity team that competes in the Hoosier League of the Indiana High School Association. Reice Leffler, senior, has been on skates since four and is starting his third season on the ZHC team. He plays several positions, depending on the play, and is one of the assistant captains. Fellow teammate, and sister, Bostyn Leffler, junior, has also played hockey for “as long as she can remember” and has been a defender at ZHC for two years. While not officially associated with ZCHS, in the past the team has been mostly composed of Zionsville students, said Reice. This season, only about six of the almost 20 players are Zionsville students. “We still ‘fly the Eagle—’ have an eagle as our mascot— and represent Zionsville,” Reice said. “Our success and failures still reflect back on the school.” The team is “young” this year, Bostyn said. Twelve of the players are new to ZHC and many had never played on a high school level team. This has brought several challenges. Reice notes that because the team is still getting to know one another, their main obstacle is their communication. “We can’t really get things going on the ice,” Reice said. However, Reice is optimistic that the team has “it all there” to be one of the “best teams in the state.” “We aren’t as close as a more seasoned team, so we’re still learning to trust each other and ironing out the details,” Bostyn said. “We have a ton of talent and potential as individuals and together.” Head coach and former Indiana Checkers AAA player Ben Highsmith also recognizes these struggles but notes that “development, belief, and work ethic has pushed this team to back on track.” Being co-ed and consisting of freshmen through seniors, the team has “always been open to anyone who wants to try out,” Highsmith said. “A term that’s thrown around the bench is ‘you earn your playing time.’” Reice explained. “How well you play determines how much you play. There’s equal opportunity for everyone.” Bostyn is the only female player on the team this season. She said that this has its “positives and negatives.” For example, in the beginning, she said “it could get lonely sometimes” but now she rarely notices it as she’s “gotten to know the boys.” “There’s a mutual respect that stems from hard work and dedication to the team with the boys,” Bostyn said. “They don’t treat me any differently than the other boys and probably hit me harder.” There is also a unique dynamic between the siblings, one Reice says adds “another level of competition.” “There are several times when my sister will bring up something that happened on the ice and I’ll bring up things that happened on the ice and we’ll bicker about it,” Reice said. Being related allows the two to have “better communication” Reice said, because he can already anticipate how his sibling will react. Bostyn adds that the two share advice and help each other get caught up after a missed game or practice. “Reice always keeps me involved,” she said. Describing Bostyn as “vital” and her sibling Reice as a natural leader and competitor, Highsmith has said the sibling duo has grown closer from being on the same team. “They are a close family and are very protective of each other,” Highsmith said. Their next game at Carmel IceSkadium will be on Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. They also play on Jan. 8 at 8:15 p.m. Entrance is free and students are encouraged to attend. The team looks ahead to February a.k.a. “tournament time,” according to Highsmith. As runners up of 4A state championship in 2018-2019 season and runners up in 3A state championship in the 2020-2021 season, they aim to return to state again on March 5. “We want to get there,” Reice said.