Sophie Marino had a bit of a challenging time accessing the online world.
This winter, she’s been making strides as a standout on Long Beach’s gymnastics team, while also serving as the goalie for the Marines men’s national hockey team, which is gaining attention with 12 wins as they move closer to 2026.
“Gymnastics has instilled strength, endurance, and a fearlessness in me,” Marino mentioned in a conversation.
“When I’m up on the beam getting ready to do a backflip, I can’t let fear take over… If a puck comes flying at me, I’m more like, ‘This is going to be fun; I’m going to make that save!'”
As a two-sport senior, she started her hockey journey in 2023 after supporting her older brother, Matt, who graduated. During a game in December 2024, she noticed that the Marines were short a backup goalie.
“He jokingly suggested, ‘Why don’t you give it a shot?’ I initially chuckled, but then thought, ‘You know, that could actually be fun,'” she recalled.
Using her brother’s old equipment, the 17-year-old went out on the ice as often as she could.
Ice runs through her veins
At first, she could only manage simple movements on skates, but by early 2025, she took an intensive course to prepare for her debut on the ice before graduation.
“I can’t believe where she is right now,” said head coach Rob Carson.
Matt made sure to send her to a goalie boot camp, allowing her to practice and excel as the sole female member of the varsity team.
“He was constantly texting me about Sophie: ‘She’s playing. She’s ready. I’m shooting pucks at her. She’s improving,’” Carson shared.
“She’s the hardest worker at practice; the team feeds off her energy. They know she didn’t have the same upbringing, like starting skating at five.”
A dedicated Islanders fan, when not following her crush, Matthew Schaefer, Marino finds herself analyzing goalie Ilya Sorokin’s style. Her gymnast mindset adds a unique perspective to her hockey game.
“Flexibility and endurance were easy for me. The gymnastics mat helped sharpen my reflexes and eye coordination,” she explained.
Out of admiration, she took on her brother’s old jersey number 32 and donned it early in the season.
A blooming butterfly
Coach Carson decided to include Marino for an ice session during the third period against Bethpage, given the comfortable lead.
She didn’t shy away from the slap shots, though it’s likely she felt some anxiety to begin with.
“It was intimidating,” she said, her nerves evident as she stepped onto the ice.
Starting goalie Justin Mele helped ease her into the moment, showing kindness before her debut.
“I just focused on the game, went out there, and started playing. I made a save on a solid shot. That felt really cool,” she said.
However, her next assignment was distinctly different as she stepped up against Half Hollow Hills in a dominating 13-0 victory.
With Mele injured, she had to start, and though she felt “scared” again, her teammates rallied around her to lift her spirits.
“When we first hit the ice, they usually don’t join me, but they all came which was really something special,” she remembered.
“After the first shot, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got this, it’s fine.’”
Marino held her ground, successfully stopping a challenging run in the third period. Long Beach eventually snagged a thrilling 6-5 win, and Mele remarked, “She really did great.”
“Honestly, I felt such pride in her,” said Stalter.
The 12-2-1 team secured the top playoff position with one regular-season game left, while Marino also qualified for the gymnastics state qualifiers planned for February.
It seems balancing both sports might just be her specialty.
“There was a moment I left a gymnastics match and rushed to a hockey game, and we won both, which was just incredible,” she reflected.
“If someone had told me I would be playing on the men’s hockey team while also doing varsity gymnastics, I honestly would have laughed,” she admitted.
