Three letters etched on the helmet of a shooter bearing down on her told Moe Bradley everything she needed to know about her new life as a goaltender for the Boston Shamrocks.
It was last July and the Swampscott native was seeing her first Shamrocks action at the North American Hockey Academy Summerfest in Vermont. The three letters hit her like a splash of ice cold water: U-S-A.
"Hello, new level of hockey," Bradley recalled. "We were against an alumni team that had (Wisconsin star) Brooke Ammerman and girls with 'Team USA' on their helmets. The first girl who scored had a USA helmet — I wasn't even mad. That's impressive."
Bradley, 18, decided to join the Shamrocks of the elite Junior Women's Hockey League late last spring in hopes of attracting more attention from major college programs. The level of competition, lifestyle and experience have been better than she'd ever imagined.
"It's everything I wanted and more. It's been one of the best decisions I've made in my life," said Bradley. "I'm overwhelmingly happy with everything it's brought."
The JWHL is made up of 10 teams from all over North America. The league's mission is to help grow women's hockey and prepare athletes for the highest level of the sport: alumni include a slew of Division 1 players.
The Salem News Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior playing for Marblehead High, Bradley was torn between staying with the team she'd grown to love and chasing her NCAA dreams at the end of the 2009 state tournament. More and more, playing for the Shamrocks — which were founded by her long time goalie coach, Bob Rotondo — felt like the right move.
"It's really a decision that you want to play college hockey," Bradley said. "I talked a lot with (Marblehead High head coach) Emily (Hudak), because she went through it getting into Ohio State. If you can find a team that goes to all the showcases that we do, it's the best option because recruiting is a two-way street.
"I approached Bob at the end of last season, and it took probably a month-and-a-half to figure it all out. There were a lot of meetings with Bob and my parents, making sure it was the right move. I had a gut feeling it was — and I've been so happy."
A Division 1 lifestyle
Now in her senior year at Swampscott High, Bradley is a top-notch student. She'd started numerous community service projects and made the unbreakable bonds every high schooler does with her peers.
The conventional route to Division 1 hockey is prep school. That the JWHL allows her to stay at Swampscott High while still playing elite hockey was a major selling point for Bradley.
"It really is the best of both worlds," says the 5-foot-8 netminder, who has teammates from Texas, North Carolina and Hong Kong that live in a team house and attend high school at Presentation of Mary Academy in Methuen. "A lot of girls don't have this. I know I'm very fortunate."
In addition to a full JWHL slate that includes league weekends in Calgary, New York, Providence, Boston and Connecticut, the Shamrocks play in a variety of Under-19 tournaments, including USA Hockey's Nationals later this year.
It's a total of upwards of 60 games coupled with three practices per week, off-ice conditioning programs and classroom work in both hockey and academics. There is a tuition fee paid by the players that covers ice time, travel, etc.
"It's for the unique girl — it's not for everyone," said Rotondo, who is the Shamrocks' president, general manager and goalie coach. "Commitment is the key. It's for a girl that wants 60-90 games and structure off the ice. They don't have any down time."
That regimented structure has grown on Bradley, who has reveled in the travel opportunities she's had with the Shamrocks.
"It's a big perk. Even the bus rides are awesome because as a team we learn a lot about each other. You see a lot of great schools, too, because some tournaments are at their rinks," said Bradley, whose travels have taken her as far as Argentina, where she helped build a soup kitchen in the summer of 2008.
Learning what it's like to stay in hotels with teammates and take care of herself on the road has only strengthened Bradley's resolve to find a Division 1 college opportunity. She hopes to enter school in 2011 after a post-graduate season playing for the Shamrocks.
"You learn to live like a hockey player," she explained. "It's non-stop, and that lifestyle is what I've grown to love."
The next step
The Shamrocks call Wilmington's Ristuccia Arena home. They also have access to the Puckstoppers synthetic ice facility in North Andover, as well as Mike Boyle's strength and conditioning center. The virtual immersion in all things hockey have led to vast improvements in Bradley's game.
"My progress is unbelievable. I can feel it in myself and in my teammates. The best feeling is knowing they trust me," said Bradley. "I've worked feverishly on my speed. I've learned that at this level you can be in the right position all day, but it's the rebounds you have to have speed for."
It's hard to imagine Bradley being any more dominant than she was at Marblehead, where she raised the bar for public high school goaltending with a 1.05 goals against average and nine shutouts as a junior. She was confident, cool under pressure and made saves look easy.
Her improvement is a credit to the level of skaters she's facing now and the level at which she aspires to play as a collegian.
"The way these girls shoot the puck, they're like boys. They're a lot more accurate," said Rotondo.
"Moe has turned it around. The last two years she worked hard, but now she's really, really working hard. She's able to play a full 60 minutes, make 40 or 50 saves and come back and do it again in eight hours. She's in that good of shape."
Bradley mostly splits time with Nia Kelley, a post-grad goalie from North Carolina, and appreciates the chance to be pushed by another puckstopper after being the only goalie at Marblehed the last two years.
Recently, Bradley decided to play a second season with the Shamrocks next year. The post-grad season will give her more time to reach the radar of college coaches, many of whom already had goaltenders in mind or signed when Bradley got on the scene last summer.
The Shamrocks have players committed to Harvard, UConn and Boston University, among other schools. Bradley was a Hockey Night in Boston all-star last summer and was recently named one of the Shamrocks' captains.
Boston is one of four JWHL teams in the East, including NAHA in Vermont, the Washington (D.C.) Pride, National Sports Academy in New York and the Colorado Selects. The Shamrocks have only two league wins this year, but are hoping to build their talent base as a second-year program and could still qualify for the league's Challenge Cup in D.C. with a strong second half.
Bradley's hoping to be a part of all that over the next 18 months as she chases that elusive Division 1 dream. As always, she'll be sure to stop and enjoy the ride along the way.
"Hard work pays off — I love that saying," she notes.
