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The Skaneateles High School women’s hockey team found itself with only 10 players on the roster last year. Then-junior Scout Oudemool, with only five substitutes and one goalie available, prepared her team for a divisional round matchup with Clinton, Skaneateles’ third game in as many days. 

Behind Oudemool’s two points, Skaneateles defeated Clinton, which defeated the Lakers a season prior.

“It gave us the idea that if we could beat Clinton, we could also beat anyone in the state,” Oudemool said. 

Last year, Oudemool, now a senior, earned the New York State Section-III Player of the Year, was the most valuable player of her high school team and secured an invite to the USA National Development Camp. She notched 21 goals and 28 assists in the championship campaign, and also committed to play hockey for Harvard when she graduates this spring. Ultimately, Oudemool credits both club and high school hockey for diversifying her skill set while still enjoying the sport.

The girls hockey program at Skaneateles High School combines the best players from both Skaneateles and West Genesee High School. The team finished 14-1-1 last season, culminating with a state championship with Oudemool leading the charge offensively.  

Andy Rozak, head coach of Skaneateles, knew Oudemool would be a special talent when he first saw her try out as a freshman on varsity.

“My initial observation was that she was very skilled,” Rozak said of Oudemool, who led the team in scoring her freshman year. “She has the ability every game to be a difference maker.”

At seven years old, she started playing hockey because her older brother started playing. However, she struggled to find joy in it until two years later, when she joined a team with her two best friends. 

That same year, Oudemool played in the Snowbelt Jam Championship game, where she only had one year of skating experience. Oudemool knew she had found her sport when she scored the overtime winner and walked off the ice with the championship trophy. Years later, Oudemool still looks back at that pee-wee championship game as a core memory in her hockey career. 

She’s also played club hockey, where she competed against stronger competition  — it helped her realize her future in the sport.

“The club level consists of a bunch of girls who strive to get better every day and see hockey in their future,” Oudemool said. “These girls play year-round, and live and breathe hockey.”

If she could compete with them, she could play at the next level. When she played for the Syracuse Valley Eagles U14 team from 2019-20, she notched 26 goals and 19 assists in 58 games played. Eventually, Oudemool started to receive college interest. Katey Stone, head coach of Harvard’s women’s hockey team, reached out to Oudemool at the end of her freshman year. But it wasn’t just Harvard interested in Oudemool — several other schools were interested, making Oudemool’s recruitment process long. 

“Before Harvard, I had contact with multiple top schools across the country, but it was always my dream to go to an Ivy League school,” Oudemool said. 

After an official visit and a few meetings with the Harvard coaching staff and recruiters, the decision was a no-brainer, she said. 

“They share so much knowledge together that I feel I can learn from in the future,” Oudemool said.

Lilly Kennedy, Oudemool’s linemate at Skaneateles, said Oudemool has great puck control while always keeping her head up, which allows her to make quick passes and decisions.

To someone unfamiliar with her play, her stats would suggest that her main job is to score goals, but she does much more than get points on the board, said Lily Marquadt, Oudemool’s other linemate. 

Over her career at Skaneateles, Oudemool has notched 45 goals and 41 assists. In the current season, she’s notched three hat tricks in wins against Alexandria, Clarkstown North and Oswego. Last year, she had just one hat trick, but notched at least a goal or assist in every single game, culminating in the state title her junior year.

“Winning a state final has always been on top of my list of goals to accomplish in my hockey career,” Oudemool said.

Published on February 13, 2023 at 9:34 pm