Photo by Rob Levine

Iyla Ryskamp and the Orono Spartans are shooting for the school's first-ever trip to the state tournament.

Sacred Spartan

Orono senior captain Iyla Ryskamp racks up the points and dreams of a trip to State

After years of being overlooked, the Orono Spartans have got a fire under them. The second ranked Class 1A Spartans are currently 22-3-0, and are headed into the section playoffs with top scoring captain Iyla Ryskamp leading the way.

With 37 goals and 75 points this season – and over 200 points for her career – Ryskamp has landed a well-earned DI spot at Sacred Heart University, where she’ll play with longtime friend Olivia LaRoche of Minnetonka.

“Sacred Heart’s getting a really great hockey player,” says Orono head coach Sean Fish.

Iyla’s DI commitment is a huge deal for the Orono program, and their first since Lizzie Norton, who was a teammate and mentor of Iyla’s in 2017-18, became a UMD Bulldog.

Heavily influenced by her father, who played for Merrimack College, Iyla started skating at the age of two. Though she at first preferred dance and other sports that required less heavy equipment, Iyla began loving hockey after she made the varsity team in 8th grade. Since then she's helped build up the Orono team as the Spartans have gone from a 5-18-2 record in her freshman year to being one of the top ranked teams in Class 1A.

Ryskamp has 37 goals this season and over 200 points in her high school career.
  Photo by Arnie Hamel

A deep, youthful roster

Orono has a wide range of ages on the team this year, with around 18 underclassmen. And with nine players over 20 points and another 12 girls over double digits, the team is working together to achieve their success. Unified by the common goal of rising to the top and going to the state tournament, the team gets along on and off the ice. “We just respect each other… whether it's a senior or a freshman,” says Ryskamp.

“They've done a phenomenal job,” says Fish about this year's team. “You can be the best coach in the world but if you don't have good players around you, you're not going to go anywhere.”

Some young prospects include Zoe Lopez, a freshman with 45 points, Macy Rasmussen, a freshman with 27, and Allie Pleimann, a sophomore with 26. With all their defenders and the goalie returning next year, Coach Fish is optimistic about the future. “We have so much depth that I hope we will be able to just play like the Orono team we are used to being.”

Additionally, senior Kailey Niccum’s 21 goals and 21 assists have been a huge boost for the Spartans. “She’s always in the right places at the right time, so it makes it so easy to play with her,” says Ryskamp, “‘cause you look up and she's immediately in the right spot.”

A unified, determined squad

The team pulls for each other, and from the beginning of the season made it a priority that each player would score a goal by the end of the season. “We celebrate really hard when that girl who hasn't yet scored, scores,” says Ryskamp.

The Spartans get excited about each and

Photo by Mike Lieb

Junior goaltender Celia Dahl is a big reason for the Spartans' success. “We treat her like a glass doll. I tell her she can't get sick, she can't get hurt, we need you!” says Ryskamp.

every win because, as Iyla puts it, “We appreciate our wins because we know what it feels like to lose.”

Ryskamp is among a group of forwards on the team that plays every other shift, and therefore plays with a variety of lines and teammates. “Seems like no matter who she plays with, she makes everyone better,” says coach Fish.

Nevertheless, the team wouldn’t be as successful without their stellar goalie, Celia Dahl. “We treat her like a glass doll. I tell her she can't get sick, she can't get hurt, we need you!” Iyla says. Her .923% save percentage speaks for itself.

A four-year plan and a fresh perspective

Ryskamp has set the Orono school record for career goals and points but her main motivation is leading the team to the state tournament.  Photo by Arnie Hamel

The Spartan’s have had an excellent year working with the coaching staff. Coach Fish incorporated a four-year plan when he started at Orono, where every year he builds up the team. “I’m honestly amazed by it, because it worked!” says Iyla.

Additionally, this year Orono has their first female assistant coach, Brooke Madsen, and the girls have appreciated the new perspective she brings to the team. The assistant coaches balance a happy medium of being both a good friend and tough coach. “The coaches are one of the things I’m going to miss the most when I graduate,” Iyla says.

Although this year’s three valuable seniors, Ryskamp, Kailey Niccum and Mia Lopez, will be lost next near, the team is confident they will continue to be strong in the coming years, with Coach Fish as a leader and the younger girls on the team stepping up. This includes Ryskamp’s younger sister Este, a freshman defender, who Iyla is overjoyed to have on the team.

Iyla is also a dedicated student and member of the community. She started Orono Giving Back, a club that organizes and schedules an act of community service once a month.

“She keeps on getting better every year,” says Coach Fish “She’s gonna set every record in Orono history.” So far, she's broken both the career points and goals record.

Coach Fish says this isn't what motivates her though, “What drives Iyla is getting to that state tournament.”

The Spartans girls team has never made it past the section finals game, so their trek to the X is greatly anticipated this year. Says Iyla: “This is our year, this is our time.”

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