By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Every Friday after the school week ends, St. Henry senior Kassidy Scheben takes an extended road trip to play a winter sport that’s not very popular around here.
Scheben is a defenseman on the K-Stars 17-under girls ice hockey club team that’s based in Kaskaska, Michigan. On weekends, she and her teammates play in the Little Caesar’s Amateur Hockey League against other clubs from all around the Great Lakes State.
St. Henry senior Kassidy Scheben is a defenseman for the K-Stars girls ice hockey team that’s based in Michigan. (Photo provided)
After playing in youth hockey leagues close to home for seven years, Scheben had to hit the road to continue her career because there weren’t enough girls in the Greater Cincinnati area to form an under-17 club team.
“My (youth) team from Cincinnati used to play against the team I’m on right now,” she said. “They saw me play and told me I could have a spot on their (17-under) team.”
A couple of players from Cincinnati also joined the K-Stars. Scheben practices with them two days a week at Northland Ice Center in Cincinnati and they make the long drive to Michigan together on the weekends with their parents.
The K-Stars are off to a 4-3-1 start in league play that will continue until February. The team also takes part in tournaments during the season.
Last month, the K-Stars won the championship trophy in their age group at the CCM World Invite in Detroit with a 6-0 record. Their last three victories were shutouts against teams from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Canada with Scheben playing the back line.
“I’m defensive-minded,” she said. “I’m not a go-getter. I like to stay back and help my team save goals.”
Scheben will get an opportunity to play ice hockey in college. She signed a letter of intent with Concordia University of Ann Arbor in Michigan. The NCAA Division II school started a women’s hockey program this season.
“I started emailing the coach and she emailed me back,” she said. “We got to know each other and then she came out to watch me play.”
The fact that Scheben is an honors student at St. Henry played a role in the recruiting process. She’ll be attending Concordia on a combined academic and athletic scholarship and plans to major in nursing.
Scheben’s parents are proud of what their daughter has accomplished playing a sport that doesn’t have much of a following in her home state of Kentucky.
“When she wanted to start playing we weren’t sure if she would like it because of the physicality and stuff,” said her father, Scott Scheben. “She just took to it right away and loved it. There was no way we were going to be able to keep her off the ice. She just fell in love with it and she’s done great playing it.”
