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Zoey Krock Leaving Rivers of Pittsburgh for a Superior Lake; Committed to Continue Hockey Career At Minnesota-Duluth
Zoey Krock is one of the class of 2024’s top girls hockey players. As a longtime resident of Mars, Pennsylvania, the opportunities in hockey have only continued to grow around the city of Pittsburgh during her lifetime. Whether it was additional leagues for girls or the addition of the Lemieux Sports Complex, the opportunities for hockey in the city are paying dividends for the younger generations.
The incoming Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs center has been playing hockey for nearly all of her life. She got her start as a skater at the age of three and quickly picked up hockey not long after that. While hockey has always been her favorite sport, she’s become a talented lacrosse player and was also a speed skater for a time in her life. These skills from other sports have helped her translate into one of the top girls hockey players to ever be recruited out of Pittsburgh.
All the proof that is needed for this claim is that Krock is set to join one of just five NCAA Division I women’s hockey programs to ever win a national championship. The Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth have won three national titles in their storied history, with Krock looking to snap an over decade-long streak in that regard when she gets on campus for the 2024–25 season. But before she hits the ice in college, Krock deserves to enjoy her senior year as a Fightin’ Planet.
Even if she is one of the top recruits in the U.S. for her graduating class, she’s just like many teenage girls. She loves spending time with her friends, attending sporting events to cheer on her classmates, and hitting the ice with her brothers, Jackson and Owen. Throughout my conversations with Krock, it’s evident that she may be more proud of her brothers than she is of herself. But that’s because she loves people and seeing them live their lives to their fullest capabilities.
Her older brother, Jackson, is a rising sophomore for the Hamilton College Continentals, while Owen is enrolling at Gilmour Academy and has college hockey on his mind, too. This means that in her senior year, she will be the lone child left in the Krock household. And while this does have some advantages, it is not particularly preferred. For most of her life, she’s had almost her entire family in the Steel City.
“My older brother has been my biggest role model since I was little. He’s honestly a huge reason why I got into this sport at such a young age. I told my Dad (Tim) that I wanted to do that. My Dad also played college hockey at Penn State, so I think I would’ve gotten into it one way or another. Throughout my career, my little brother has been my biggest fan, and my Mom (Erin) has been my biggest cheerleader. I am thankful that I’ve had all that support and started this journey at a young age. I think my family and starting the sport at a young age have been some of the biggest reasons for my success.”
With her built-in best friends into their next chapter. Krock will continue to rely on her blonde squad besties, McKenna, Ainsley, and Bryn, and her Pens Elite teammates to make her senior year the best it can be. Her friendship with McKenna, Ainsley, and Bryn dates all the way back to kindergarten and will last a lifetime, even if college choices separate this pack for at least some part of their lives. When bringing up these three girls, Krock was emotional and spoke about what they mean to her.
“Those girls have been my best friends since the very beginning. They have always supported my hockey dream and have been so welcoming to many of my Pens Elite teammates to hang out all together. To have them by my side through everything is so special to me. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends. I can’t thank them enough for all the love and support that they’ve shown me. They continue to be my ride or die.”
In hockey, the organization that has helped her dreams come true is Pens Elite. For around a decade, Krock has participated on various teams and was even one of the youngest players to suit up for a game in the Pens Elite uniform. Today, she’s one of the longest-tenured players in the organization and is one of the role models for the younger players beginning their club hockey careers. The Pens Elite organization has introduced her to and allowed her to work with many of the best coaches from around the city of Pittsburgh. It’s also been crucial to be with Pens Elite, as they’ve helped make possible the opportunities to participate in USA Hockey regional camps and become familiar with college coaches from around the country.
From her exposure in Pens Elite, she was invited to USA Hockey Camps, and that is where she played for Associate Head Coach for Minnesota Duluth Women’s Hockey, Laura Bellamy. After playing for her in this camp, she realized she would love to play for her at the college level one day. Just a couple of years later, this desire has become a reality.
“It was a full circle moment to play for Coach Bellamy at the 15U Team USA Camp and then commit to play for her in college. Those camps were important for me, and I still keep in contact with people I met at those opportunities over the years. The coaching staff that I will get to play for is top-notch, and they have so much knowledge of the game. I really hope that in the coming years we can come ready to work and ready to play. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to play against some of the top girls from around the country and the world each day in practice and then in games.”
Krock is hopeful to earn a degree in health sciences and looks forward to learning more about healthcare careers as her college career unfolds. She’s always enjoyed working with people and helping them feel their best. But before she enters healthcare, she’s hopeful of playing hockey professionally. With women’s hockey expanding professionally over recent years, the opportunities have grown for women in the sport beyond college. Leagues that used to have just one girl per team are starting to welcome more, which is a testament to how this sport has grown and where it’s headed.
It’s taken a lot of hard work, a great support system, and living near many opportunities in hockey to make this career possible for Zoey Krock. From a beautiful home rink to the opportunity to travel the country to compete against the nation’s top talent, Pens Elite and the Krock family have guided Zoey on a path that everyone can be proud of and admire. And perhaps nobody has been more foundational than her parents.
“My Dad has been my lifelong coach, manager, and he helped me so much through the recruiting process. He’s been such an amazing supporter and help to me through all of these years. And to my Mom, thank you for all the sacrifices you have made to allow me to live out my dream. I couldn’t have done it without both of you and the rest of the family. I’m so thankful to have all of your love and supprt.”
Hopefully, down the line, we can continue to hear more stories like Zoey’s and that girls from Pens Elite are playing for the top programs in the country and are sporting NCAA and Olympic medals. The sport of girls and women’s hockey is on the rise, and young women like Zoey Krock are paving the way for an even brighter future for the next generation.
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