Northampton’s Alyssa Wruble approaches her game with a warrior’s mentality and blinders on. There isn’t too much around that can distract from her mission, whatever the cause may be.

“Hockey keeps me going,” said Wruble, a junior. “I have a real passion for it. Since I was young, I need to prove that I can do it. I always try to be the best I can be out there.”

Wruble latest brush with the sport saw her high school season end when the Konkrete Kids lost to Parkland in overtime, 3-2, in the second game of a three-game series in the finals of the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey league (LVSHL) late last month.

Whatever the outcome, Wruble dedicated her game to teammate Aidan Carey, who was in the hospital with an illness at the time.

“I played for him (Carey) and the team,” said Wruble, who was second on the team with 15 points (four goals and 11 assists) and was named to the league’s all-star team. “He is a good friend and couldn’t play. I knew it hurt.

“In the end, we didn’t lose by giving up. We fought until the end, and they got lucky.”

Head coach Brian Ruff has appreciated her contributions.

“Alyssa was for us the part that made our team go,” said Ruff. “She outworked everyone on the ice. She has the ability and foresight to go where the puck is going to be next, where most players react to where the puck is.

“She has been a pleasure to coach on the ice as well as off the ice. We wish her nothing but the best in whatever direction her future takes her.”

Wruble, who has faced her share of jeers by being the lone female on the team, began her career through the help of her two brothers, Derrick and Andrew. Derrick, who graduated in 2014, was paralyzed in a car accident in November 2016 as he readied to play hockey for Moravian College.

Yet, oddly enough, she was influenced by gymnastics.

“I started with gymnastics when I was young, but I quickly found out that it wasn’t for me,” she recalled. “My brothers played hockey, and I got into it.

“I knew then that it was going to be my sport. I have played in girls’ leagues, but I have been playing against guys my whole life. It isn’t anything new for me.”

After her introduction to the sport, Wruble didn’t waste much time becoming immersed in it. She developed a nearly year-around calendar, and her travels took her on an excursion round the world.

Within local bounds, Wruble has played for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers and the New Jersey Colonials, both for the Junior Women’s Hockey league. (JWHL).

Wruble was third on the Flyers in scoring this past season with 32 points (18 goals and 14 assists).

“I have been places all around the world,” noted Wruble of her experiences with the league. “I have gone to a number of tournaments. Through it all, I have made friends with players all over the country and around the world.

“It has been a great learning experience in many ways for me.”

Wruble has aspirations of playing collegiate Division I hockey, and she will weigh all of her options. From there, Wruble believes she would have a chance to play in the United States Women’s Hockey League.

She also is deciding on a career path outside of hockey, and the possibilities include sports psychology and medical or law enforcement.

“I want to look around and see what would be the best choice and where I would be comfortable,” said Wruble. “My goal is to play hockey, but being a cop is kind of cool.”

Wruble has been inspired by Kendell Coyne, a former pro player as well as a member of the United States Women’s team. Coyne was named as a replacement for Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon at the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills fastest-skater challenge.

“She was one of the better players around and always worked hard,” said Wruble about Coyne. “The women of the US national team prove it every day. They know how to bring it.”

Judging by her play, Wruble does too.