Lake Forest’s Conroy — skillful and passionate — taking her game to another level

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Lake Forest's Haley Conroy waits to get back in after her shift on the ice. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:18AM

Lake Forest High School girls hockey player Haley Conroy’s competitive streak was honed at an early age.

When she was age 7, the senior played on a boys hockey team with her older brother, Dylan. Going up against boys, older ones at that, helped Conroy grow up in a hurry. It never occurred to Conroy that she should take a back seat or that she couldn’t hang with the older kids.

“I was the only girl on the team,” Conroy said. “That made me try a lot harder, and I never wanted my brother to be better than me.”

Dylan Conroy, who plays club hockey for Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, said his younger sister never backed down.

“Her skills didn’t vary from ours,” he said. “She definitely fit in; she played just like a guy.”

Given that background, it’s no wonder that Conroy went on to be a four-year star for the Scouts. Conroy is making the most of her senior season with 22 goals and 13 assists in 25 games.

“I couldn’t ask for a better player,” said first-year LF coach Meghan Fosth. “She has such a strong passion for hockey.”

In some ways, Conroy was destined to play. Her father grew up in Lake Forest but was born in Canada. He is passionate about the game and was Conroy’s first coach. Both of Conroy’s older brothers, Danny and Dylan play, as do her two younger sisters. In fact, Hannah Conroy, a freshman, sometimes plays on the same line with her big sister.

Haley Conroy said her youngest sister, Nora Conroy, is her biggest fan.

“She comes to every single one of my games,” Haley Conroy said. “She’s always there cheering us on 24-7.”

There has certainly been a lot to cheer about. The Scouts, the defending state champions, sported a 21-3-1 record through Monday.

Haley Conroy said the Scouts are responding well to their new coach.

“She motivates us and keeps things positive and fun,” Conroy said. “She played in college and we can really relate to her.”

Conroy plans to play in college at the NCAA Division III level.

Of course, she has plenty to accomplish at the high school level before she moves on.

After her junior year, Conroy realized that the area of her game she needed to work on was finishing prime scoring opportunities. She devoted much of her practice in the offseason to shooting, and has pressured opposing defenses all season.

“She would miss some open nets last year, but her shooting has really improved,” Fosth said. “This season, it seems like she’s scoring a couple of goals each game. She’s putting the puck in the net.”

Even with her improved shot, Conroy’s favorite part of hockey is passing.

“I really like setting plays up and getting assists,” she said.

That unselfish leadership from Conroy — and fellow seniors Jessie Gould, Dana Markee, Kelsey Patten and Marie Soukup — has proved invaluable.

“There’s usually some sort of drama with girls, but they all get along with each other,” Fosth said. “Every single player is passionate about (the team).”

Conroy takes pride in the way the Scouts have become a consistent force in the postseason.

Two years ago, Lake Forest advanced to the United Center and played for the state championship. Last season, the Scouts broke through and won the title, and this year they have a solid chance to make it two in a row.

“We were a lot more relaxed last year and kind of knew what we were in for,” Conroy said. “The seniors all know this is our last year and we’re trying really hard to make it happen.”