Patience helps Maya Miller dominate under-19 hockey in Wyoming

For Cheyenne Capitals forward Maya Miller, it comes from rubbing a normal puck on her stick prior to exiting the locker room, instead of the traditional wax puck.

“I remember a kid that I played with said, ‘Having a puck attracts a puck,’” Miller said with a laugh. “Ever since then, I took their word on it. I went on the idea of not washing my jersey, and my mom shut that down pretty quick.

“When (my stick tape) is too white, I feel like it’s too pizazzy.”

So far, Miller’s pregame ritual has worked out.

Through the Capitals’ first 16 games, Miller has recorded 34 goals and 13 assists (47 points) to lead the Capitals to a 9-6-1 record. Her assist mark is tied for first in the Wyoming Amateur Hockey League’s under-19 division for girls, and her goals rank second in the league, according to Pointstreak.

Miller immediately gave credit for her success to her teammates and coaches, who have done a great job of putting her into the best possible to succeed.

“(My team) is always keeping my head in the game,” she said. “I’ve had some struggles out there, like a game not going my way. But I have a rally of people keeping me going and pushing me forward.”

Goal scoring is something that has always been a part of Miller’s arsenal on the ice. While she admits she hasn’t always been a natural scorer, she’s always had a great supporting cast around her throughout her time on the ice.

“I’ve always just had the people around me kind of pushing me and telling me that I could always do better,” Miller said. “(It was) always in the nicest way possible. The first two, three or four years, it definitely didn’t come natural. It took a lot of practice and patience.”

Miller’s goal scoring and vision are important aspects of how she plays. She also possesses a great deal of patience whenever she is on the ice; not just in terms of waiting out defenders and goaltenders on the offensive end, but also in helping break the puck out of her own zone.

Her patience also shows when she isn’t flustered by what the score is. That patience is something that rubs off on the rest of the team, Capitals coach Justin Byelich said.

“It makes my job a lot easier,” the coach said. “The rest of the team sees it, and it’s a win-win.”

While patience is something she excels at now, Miller has had to work hard over the years to perfect it.

“As a kid, I would get pretty frustrated,” she said. “It takes patience and time to learn. I just take some deep breaths (now) and try not to worry about what’s on the scoreboard.

“If we’re down one or down two, it definitely puts you in a (bad) headspace. So, taking your focus and putting it towards your people and stuff like that helps me.”

While Miller’s talents have helped the Capitals on the ice, she’s also become an even bigger factor off of it. Byelich described Miller as a phenomenal teammate who is always trying to help mentor the younger players on the roster who don’t have the same level of experience.

“She’s a leader both on and off the ice,” Byelich said. “It’s really easy for one kid to try to dominate. That’s not something that has happened. With her especially, she is really sharing it and it’s really helping the rest of the kids and the team develop.

“It makes it a challenge on the other teams in the state the way she is really incorporating the whole team.”

Being a leader and being selfless are two qualities that come naturally to Miller. Even though she is happy to take players under her wing, Miller feels that sentiment is reciprocated by the entire Capitals locker room.

While Miller still has some time left with the Capitals team, she won’t be around forever. In her time left with the the team, her main goal is to continue to help bring the team closer together.

“In my years, I’ve seen this team go through a lot of different changes,” Miller said. “The connection and the spark with everyone is just something else. (I want to) leave the idea where everyone fits in and gets along.

“In a place like this, it’s where everybody should be together.”