High School

Grosse Pointe South Girls Hockey Dominates Early, Led by Star Goalie and Dynamic Offense

Coach Alexis Bohlinger keeps the Blue Devils focused on teamwork and consistency as they cruise through the season with a 7-0 start

Jeff Hawkins

Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South senior goalie Rosie Smith is a two-time, first-team All-State selection and the anchor of the defending Division 1 state champs.
Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South senior goalie Rosie Smith is a two-time, first-team All-State selection and the anchor of the defending Division 1 state champs. / Leon Halip Photography

Grosse Pointe South (Michigan) girls ice hockey coach Alexis Bohlinger went the distance to not place any additional pressure on the defending Division 1 state champions.

Talent and team-wide confidence certainly were not issues, but Bohlinger wanted the team to remain coordinated.

Backed by two-time, first-team all-state goalie Rosie Smith returning for her senior season and spearheaded by proven scorers Molly Reynolds, Abby Evans, Bella Peruski and Ruby Lenhard, Bohlinger remained positive she could rely on the team’s core to keep the Blue Devils among Michigan’s elite programs.

Entering her third season at Grosse Pointe South, Bohlinger said she concentrated on helping the players remain “focused on the journey.”

Grosse Point South cruising early on this season

Nearing the halfway point to the 2024-25 campaign, Grosse Pointe South has enjoyed a smooth ride.

Along the way, they earned wins in their first seven outings, including a 4-1 win over rival University Liggett School (ULS) on Nov. 13. It was a rematch of the past two state finals, with each program claiming a title. The two programs could face each other again Saturday during the ULS at Francis J. McCann Ice Arena. Grosse Pointe South was scheduled to face “friendly rival” Grosse Pointe North in the tourney opener Friday, followed by the host school taking on Regina/Lutheran North/Austin in another first-round matchup.

The winners will meet for the tourney title Saturday.

For Grosse Pointe South, the first-round match against the smaller Grosse Pointe North likely will continue the teams’ “fun rivalry,” Bohlinger said. “They don’t have as many students as we do so they have a shorter bench, but all the kids all grew up together.

“We hug at the end of the game.”

If Grosse Pointe South and Liggett meet again Saturday, Bohlinger expects the game to take on a different feel. Liggett, whose 1-0 loss in the state final ended a near-three-year unbeaten streak, likely will seek on-ice retribution.

University Liggett School prepared for the tournament with an 8-0 victory over Ann Arbor Pioneer (1-4-0) at Veterans Ice Arena on Wednesday. Improving to 4-2-0, Liggett generated a 41-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Meanwhile, Grosse Pointe South earned a 7-1 win over Ann Arbor Huron-Skyline (1-5-0). The win was highlighted by backup goalie Frances Ring turning aside eight shots to earn her first varsity victory.

Grosse Pointe South’s offense led by best friends

The Blue Devils’ offense is led by “best friends,” Reynolds and Evans. Reynolds, who has spent most of her time on the wing, but “can play any position,” Bohlinger said, entered the weekend with nine goals among 13 points.

Freshman skater Kylie White, who scored her first varsity goal against Huron-Skyline, remains an emerging prospect. Compiling two helpers Wednesday, she has collected seven assists this season.

With the Blue Devils outscoring their opening seven opponents, 48-8, Smith continues proving to be a “humble” winner. Despite her early-career accolades, Bohlinger said Smith continues working to improve her game.

“Being named a first-team all-stater two years in a row is unheard of,” Bohlinger said. “Obviously, she’s hoping to have a great (senior) season. She is so humble.”

As a player, Bohlinger competed with Liggett during the 2004-05 campaign. Ironically, her senior season ended with a playoff loss to Grosse Pointe South.

If the teams do meet again Saturday, the matchup would mean a lot to Bohlinger on several fronts.

Could it be a preview for the teams’ third straight state-final matchup?

If so, Bohlinger refuses to place any additional pressure on her players.

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Jeff Hawkins
JEFF HAWKINS

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in print and digital media. A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2023-24 and 2011-12), NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003). His minor-league coverage included the UHL’s Adirondack IceHawks (1999-2003), Northeast League’s Adirondack Lumberjacks (1997-99) and South Atlantic League’s Hickory Crawdads (1993-95). Hawkins penned four youth sports books and away from the laptop, his main hobbies include mountain bike riding and live music. He has been writing for High School On SI since 2024.

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