Grace Ronan grew up playing hockey in Park City, Utah, but saw her career take a decided turn once she came to Colorado to play for the Colorado 14ers and Team Colorado AAA.

Next season, she’ll head to Iowa to play NCAA Division III hockey for the University of Dubuque, a team that just wrapped its second season in the NCAA ranks.

“The coach reached out to me towards the beginning of the season and we kept in touch as the season continued,” said Ronan. “I looked at a few different schools but in the end, I liked Dubuque the best. They have really nice athletic facilities and I loved the rink and the gyms they had on campus.”

Ronan added that she’ll likely major in psychology once she gets to campus later this summer.

“School has not been my strong suit when I was younger, but now that I’m getting to a point where I can’t be lazy about it, I’m really starting to take it more serious because I need it to get a good job and stuff,” Ronan said.

Back in Utah, Ronan started playing the game she eventually developed to be college-ready in Colorado.

“I started playing hockey when I was seven in Park City,” said Ronan. “My older brother played it for a year before me, but he didn’t really like it. At the time, I was trying to get into figure skating. I’m not really sure how but at some point, I decided figure skating wasn’t it and I moved to playing hockey.

“In Colorado, coach Karen Rickard is someone who I have had a really fun time playing for. She is big on not only working hard and making sure our team is the best it can be, but she also makes sure we have fun at practices.”

Moving ahead, Ronan’s goals are simple.

“My long-term goals for hockey are playing through college and hopefully ending up coaching a team either back in Utah or here in Colorado,” Ronan said. “Academically, I just want to pass all my classes.”

Photo/Be Feral Media

— Matt Mackinder

(February 19, 2025)