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When commencing her hockey career as a 4-year-old registrant through the Edward O’Malley Athletic Association, 144 Moore St., Alexa Davis diligently handled her duties as a playmaker. Fast forward seven years, and the resident of the 200 block of Mifflin Street has ceased being a center and has become the center of attention as a revered goaltender, with her prowess even prompting an all-boys postsecondary education institution to add her to its middle school squad.
“When I made the switch, I thought goaltending would be hard, and it has been at times,” the Pennsport inhabitant said Friday at Burke Playground, Second and Jackson streets, where EOM holds its spring and fall seasons. “I’ve gotten used to it, though, and it’s really fun stopping pucks and getting better at understanding the game.”
Alexa, a sixth-grader at Christopher Columbus Charter School, 1242-46 S. 12th St., has aided Roman Catholic High School’s youth unit for the last two weeks, having earned a spot through her stellar play and EOM coaches’ connections with the Cahillites. No matter if she is playing ice hockey for that club or roller hockey for her playground team, the energetic girl garners respect not simply for being a female testing her might within a male-dominated discipline but also for her unwavering commitment to meshing fun and focus.
“It’s a very quick game, so I always have to be aware,” the youngster said of possessing acute reflexes and limbs. “I’ve been playing for most of my life, but there’s always going to be something to improve.”
Essentially a self-taught keeper, Alexa, whose basement has become an extra practice location, has looked to footage of Philadelphia Flyers rubber stoppers Ray Emery and Steve Mason for assistance, but she knows the onus of registering victories rests mainly on her shoulders, or, in this, case, her glove, blocker, stick and pads. That attitude has assisted Alexa no matter which uniform that she dons or teammates whom she supports, with the Roman Catholic assignment proving particularly compelling.
“It’s a great opportunity for her,” mother Tracey Triolo said of the ambitious pre-teen. “She’s the first girl ever to play for Roman, so there’s that novelty, but Alexa doesn’t let that get to her.”
The composed child confessed to feeling quite ecstatic over the possibility of making trips to Pittsburgh and Lake Placid, N.Y., for Roman Catholic, which plays in West Chester and practices at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena. Those settings, though deserving of much reverence, could come to pale in comparison to the national and international locations that could wow her world if she continues her monumental mental maturation.
“If she wants greater exposure, she is going to have to start playing with girls,” Triolo said of her offspring, who has received interest from the Delco Phantoms Ice Hockey Club. “I think she’s on a great path. Time will tell.”
Alexa might indeed need to fend off fellow females for distinction, but she began her athletic journey with mastering a male, her brother Stephen, in mind.
“I always thought I could be better than him,” she said of her sibling. “Really, I just wanted to be good no matter what I tried.”
Alexa has played soccer and basketball for EOM, yet hockey has held sway the longest during her tenure with the 53-year-old entity. She started to play very well as a 7-year-old, and, proving that her talent included far more than the ability to thwart shots, she started to display a knack for blocking them, too, as a defenseman, or defensewoman, so to speak, for Rizzo Rink, 1101 S. Front St.
“I occasionally play goal there, but, yeah, I play mostly defense, and that’s fun, too,” Alexa said, adding that speedy backwards skating and concentrating on opponents’ waists more than their sticks help her to thrive and to strive to make the contest a manageable one for whoever stands between the pipes.
When she is guarding the goal, the spry specimen specializes in flashing a quick glove and is working on using her stick better and diminishing the temptation of aiming for her five-hole. No matter what she is looking to improve, her skills have already bred three Goalie of the Year honors from EOM and the much-appreciated roster spot for Roman Catholic.
“It doesn’t really feel that different to me that I’m a girl playing against mostly boys,” she said. “No matter what they are, when I’m the goalie, I want to stop them from scoring.”
Being a dual threat with her goaltending and skating renown, Alexa will need to determine which endeavor will likely yield more opportunities and will gain a greater sense of that when Rizzo Rink’s season opens next month and as Roman Catholic’s and EOM’s campaigns unfold. While professional pursuits might not be clear yet, the youngster tasked with preventing one kind of goal will continue to nourish the growth of another sort.
“Winning an Olympic gold medal would be great,” Alexa said.
“That’s the hope,” her matriarch added. “Wouldn’t that be something? Look at the girl from South Philly.” SPR
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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