Park City girls' unlikely path to the USA Hockey Championships

Park City's Utah Lady Grizzlies (R to L) Gianna Monestere, Morgan Vesco and Savannah Bennett. Not pictured: Kira Sun.

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Park City's Utah Lady Grizzlies (R to L) Gianna Monestere, Morgan Vesco and Savannah Bennett. Not pictured: Kira Sun. Photo: Melanie Monestere

Utah Lady Grizzlies' Cinderella story shows how Park City's youth are redefining girls' hockey in Utah

PARK CITY, Utah Gianna Monestere, Morgan Vesco, Savannah Bennett and Kira Sun represented the Utah Lady Grizzlies in the prestigious 2024 Girls Tier II USA Hockey National Championships on April 3-7. From early morning workouts to competing against the nation's elite, the Lady Grizzlies' journey to Nationals was nothing short of a Cinderella story.

“Hockey is relatively new to our state… Still, we made it to Nationals. We played against the best of the best from other states,” said Melanie Monestere, mother of Gianna.

Melanie recalled a particularly hard-fought tournament this season in Massachusetts, when the Utah Lady Grizzlies faced a top team from Princeton. They initially lost, but later triumphed in a rematch that required them to start their day before dawn. “It was great to see how inspired these girls are, how hard they have worked,” Melanie said. The Lady Grizzlies competed against many elite boarding schools, while the Utahns could barely field a team. Gianna herself was technically supposed to play on the 14U team, but because they didn't have enough girls, she played for the 16U team.

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Melanie reminisced about the early days when Gianna, raised in a hockey-enriched environment in Minnesota, transitioned from skating competitions to expressing a desire to play hockey. The shift from playing co-ed hockey with the Park City Ice Miners to joining the Utah Lady Grizzlies, the only girls' team in Utah (aside from the Ogden Lady Mustangs, a hockey development program for younger girls), provided Gianna with new skills . challenges and opportunities. “Joining the Lady Grizzlies gave her the opportunity to develop into a much better hockey player,” Melanie said.

Teammate Morgan Vesco credits her perseverance, teamwork and relentless determination to YSA, where she learned about the pillars of sport.

“This winter my summer sports stole my focus for a few weeks and in mid-February I competed in the US Sailing Olympic Team Trials in the ILCA6. When I returned to Utah after that adventure, I was determined to win on the ice,” Vesco recalls.

“This team is special; Most of us have been playing together for years, and our bond is extremely powerful,” Vesco said.

Gianna's favorite player, Anze Kopitar of the LA Kings, embodies the qualities she strives for: hard work, professionalism and team support. These are values ​​that have been strengthened through the coaching of brothers Bryce and Brandon Mannek, who not only imparted strategic insights but also fostered a strong sense of team unity and emotional resilience among the players. Vesco added: “This year's coaches have pushed me beyond my limits and encouraged me to look further into the possibilities of study options.”

Looking ahead, Vesco said, “This journey continues as some of us have been selected to attend the Rocky Mountain District Player Development Camp next month; we will continue to blaze a trail for Utah Lady Grizz Hockey.” Gianna looks forward to a future in college hockey and possibly beyond. “She plans to play as long as she can,” Monestere said. With new top coaches joining the Lady Grizzlies following their successful season, the outlook looks brighter than ever. Monestere also shared her excitement about the NHL team coming to Salt Lake City, hoping it will support the development of youth hockey across the state and in turn lead to some of Utah's youth becoming a will earn a spot at the 2034 Olympic Games.

The photos below are of the Utah Lady Grizzlies on ice during the Nationals April 3-7, 2024, courtesy of Melanie Monestere.

#43 Morgan Vesco

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#18 Call soon

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#49 Gianna Monestere

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#29 Savannah Bennett

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Tryouts for the 2024-25 Utah Lady Grizzlies begin this week. For more information and registration go to https://www.utahladygrizzlies.org/.

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