Taylorsville hockey player heads to Michigan
Sep 16, 2020 02:43PM ● By Greg James
As a cheerleader at Taylorsville High School, Reagan Tolley helped win a state pom title in 2018. She will now try to score goals in Michigan. (Photo courtesy of Reagan Tolley.)
By Greg James | [email protected]
Reagan Tolley is a two-sport athlete who is taking her talents on the ice, literally.
“I am excited to go out and play hockey,” Tolley said. “I really felt good about the program in Michigan, and I know that I can excel there.”
Tolley has signed a letter of intent to continue her hockey career at Concordia University Ann Arbor in Michigan.
She was a three-year varsity starter and was an academic all-star award winner twice and named the winner of the Art Teece Memorial award in 2018. The award is given to the Utah High School Hockey female MVP.
She played on the Oquirrh Independent team in division one of the Utah High School Hockey League. The team is made up of players from Salt Lake County that do not have enough to form a single school team. Hockey is not a sanctioned high school sport.
She was also a cheerleader at Taylorsville. As a member of the cheer team, she won a state pom championship in 2018.
“I danced a lot when I was younger,” Tolley said. “That taught me to never give up and keep trying. I started playing hockey when I was young. We went to the learn to skate program, and it took off from there.”
The 5-foot-4-inch center led the Tier 2 Utah Lady Grizzlies in assists while scoring six goals in her first two years of competitive high school hockey.
“Playing forward is hard,” she said. “It takes the development of all the hockey skills. You need to be a good skater and puck handler. I also try to be good at getting the puck to my teammates so they can score easily. I really have worked on my face-offs.”
Concordia finished its second year of competitive hockey this spring.
“I am really excited to continue building our program with our incoming class of forwards,” Concordia head coach Maria Barlow said. “I know this group is going to bring our offensive game up another step with their passion for the game and work ethic.”
Concordia University added men’s and women’s hockey in 2018. The Cardinal finished last season without a win in 18 contests. They did play the University of Michigan three times.
“I look forward to growing their game while helping them grow in their faith while at Concordia,” Barlow said.
Tolley is excited to get a chance.
“I really encourage kids to look outside of the state for opportunities, not only in sports but in schooling,” Tolley said. “Concordia was able to help me financially so I can go to school there and get a good education.”
