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The payoff was pretty sweet. Norman, a Yorkville freshman, and the Chicago Mission U16 AAA team won the USA Hockey national championship April 9 in Boston. It's the Mission's second national championship, first at the U16 level. And for Norman, who has skated since she was 3 and played hockey since she was 7, it was also a first. (Photo provided)
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"It was an amazing experience," Norman said. "It was all of us working together and pulling through. It was an amazing team effort." And quite a season. No. 1 all year long in its division in Illinois, the Mission finished 66-5-1. The team traveled to tournaments in Vermont, Canada, Detroit and Minnesota. It won the Illinois state championship, and regionals in Wisconsin to get an automatic bid to nationals. "Probably the best U16 team I've coached, and by far the most talented and hard-working group I've had," said U16 Mission coach Erin Rourke-Smith. (Photo provided)
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It needed to be, to make it through a triple-overtime quarterfinal game against the nation's second-ranked team. The Mission won that, won its semifinal later that day, then beat Select Academy from South Kent, Conn. 2-1 in the final. "It was kind of like we played an extra game," Norman said. "We were tired, but we pulled through." Norman, a defenseman in hockey, made the transition to hockey after four years figure skating. "I love being part of a team, being around other people and supporting them," said Norman, who also was a state track qualifier in middle school. "I love the speed of the game, and the competitiveness." (Photo provided)
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She first went to the Chicago Fury, but later was offered a tryout with the Mission. She's now been with that program that trains out of Bensenville for five years. Norman, whose brother Brandon is a goaltender, has always played defense. She's fractured a collarbone being checked into the boards, and broke a few fingers blocking shots. But she's a natural fit. "She's very, very smart with the puck, she has great hockey knowledge and she is aware of what is going on on the ice," Rourke-Smith said. "That's not something you can teach. She is aggressive and fearless, and plays the body better than most females I would say." This was Norman's third shot at a national title. She played on the U14 team that lost two years ago, and U16 last season. "It shows the strength of girls like Peyton," Rourke-Smith said. "It's not an easy thing to do, to play close to 80 games in a season, and I know she's a good student in school." "We knew we had a chance to win it," Norman said. "When we play our game, nobody can stop us at all. To make the program, and just be a part of it, and then to be the No. 1 team, I'm honored." (Photo provided)