Anna Loveday saw her future when her mother gave her a hockey action figure when she was three.
“I loved it and thought to myself ‘I want to do that,’” the now Malow Junior High School 9th grader said.
Beginning a career in hockey at three, Loveday is now part of a competitive girls team that is ranked fourth nationally and poised to capture the title.
Her team – the Little Ceasars hockey club – has earned top spots in some of the top Tier 1 international competitions and on its way to the championship this spring in Florida. The team finished second nationally last year.
“I feel like our team is better than last year” said Loveday, who plays defense. “I feel that we want to win more this year.”
Loveday began playing hockey at three on coed teams, and switched over to all girl competitive teams when she turned 10 after being scouted by coaches.
“I like hockey because it is physical,” she said. “You don’t get that in a lot of girls sports. It requires a lot of physical work on and off the ice.”
The year-round sport requires a true commitment, as Loveday practices every day either with her teammates or with “off ice” activities during non-practice days.
As one of the older members of her team, Loveday said she is focused on being a team leader - a trait she admires in her favorite hockey player, Dylan Larkin.
Loveday said her focus on a successful season, but she is already planning a future in hockey that will lead to playing at the college level and a possible professional career.
