Mars’ Krock continuing ice hockey career at Minnesota Duluth
Sheltered from the Chicago winter by the comfort of his home, Tim Krock typed away on his laptop, intermittently checking up on the content toddler outside his window.
His two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Zoey, brushed off the chilly December conditions, determined to glide around a backyard ice hockey rink. Somewhat clumsy at first, her skate became more graceful as her cheeks grew rosier.
“I was working as it got dark and I just remember her being out — it probably seemed like hours, it may not have been that long — and she just skated around in circles on that little rink, picking up the little cones that we had out there,” the father recalled. “I remember going out and saying, ‘Are you cold?’ (She said,) ‘No, I’m fine!’
“She kind of just kept at it.”
The skating surface was initially intended for Zoey’s older brother, Jackson — who now plays ice hockey at Hamilton College. Her father competed in the same sport at Penn State University. It was natural that she’d take a liking to it, too.
“Seeing my older brother playing, I think, at a young age inspired me to really get into it,” Zoey said. “I don’t really think I would’ve had much of an option.”
A senior at Mars High School and a forward on the ice, Zoey recently signed her letter of intent to play for the women’s hockey team at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
“She was just out there because it was something she enjoyed and wanted to do,” her father said, thinking back to when Zoey first wobbled onto the ice. “When kids are young like that, you never know what they’re really going to stick with. They kind of find their own way eventually.”
Zoey was set on what she wanted to do from an early age.
“My biggest goal growing up was always to play Division I hockey,” she said.
The Bulldogs play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), which has accounted for 19 of the 22 NCAA women’s college hockey championships, which were born in 2001.
Minnesota Duluth has won the third-most national crowns (five) and ranks the same with seven title game appearances.
“To play for a team that’s top 10 in the country and it’s always in the running in the national tournament is really inspiring,” Krock said. “To be able to play against some of the top girls in the country every day at practice is just going to make you that much better.”
After developing a passion for lacing up her skates, Zoey began taking hockey lessons. When she was five, her family would move from Illinois and she’d enter the mite program at Robert Morris University. Eventually, she’d take up competition with boys while playing for the North Pittsburgh Wildcats.
The latter choice helped her immensely with her development.
“Usually, boys tend to have more skill and are faster, so playing against bigger kids and having some body contact really helped push me,” Zoey said.
As she dealt with an increased degree of difficulty, she learned how to protect herself with the puck, work better on the walls, and hasten her shot. At the bantam level, she stepped away from playing with boys to avoid injury and focus on playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Hockey girls team.
Zoey’s been with that program for 10 seasons now and has played for a national championship on multiple occasions. She’s one of — if not the — longest-tenured players in Pens Elite.
“It’s been really cool growing up through the organization,” she said. “I think I’ve been very fortunate to be able to play my whole childhood, basically, here. ... I really got to be with a lot of girls throughout the program and I was inspired by a lot of the older girls.
“Now, to be able to finish out my career at Pens Elite and hopefully inspire many of the other younger girls is a full-circle moment.”
As she’s climbed through the age ranks, Zoey has recently had the opportunity to help with the younger teams’ practices and become a mentor to budding hockey players.
“It’s really a cute, special moment,” she said. “I love going out to have the opportunity to teach with the girls.”
Zoey’s participation — from nursing the puck as a child to becoming a role model for another generation of players — serves as an example of why the popularity of the game is growing for girls and women.
“Hopefully, maybe one day, I can maybe look into going professional for a couple years,” Zoey said. “When I started out young, not many girls played hockey at all. To see it grow so much over time is really exciting, especially for the future.”
Zoey also thanked her mother, Erin, and her younger brother, Owen, for their support throughout her involvement in ice hockey.
