GREEN BAY – Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and playing hockey with the M&M Thunder in the Marinette-Menominee area, Ava McDonald moved to the Green Bay area beginning her sophomore year.

Three years later, the Notre Dame Academy senior recently helped the Bay Area Ice Bears – Green Bay’s co-op girls high school hockey team – repeat as back-to-back, WIAA Division 1 State champions.

Bay Area (26-2) bettered River Falls in the state championship game on March 7 in Middleton, 5-4.

The Ice Bears, who jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead, almost let a 5-1 lead slip away after River Falls scored three third-period goals.

“It was a little scary there at the end, but we kept our composure and hung on,” McDonald said. “It was very satisfying to win the State Title in back-to-back years.”

In the title game, McDonald tallied a third-period assist to help put the Ice Bears up 4-1 at the time.

“I’m really grateful to have been brought up in [the Ice Bears] program,” McDonald said. “I came in as a sophomore, and there was a great leadership group when I came in. I had a lot of players to look up to, and I think that really helped me grow.”

Bay Area made it to the State Title game in 2024 as well, before falling to D.C. Everest, 4-3.

McDonald said during her junior year, she took on more of a leadership role.
“That helped me coming into my senior year – I was that leader,” she said. “I had my two other captains with me, but it was my turn to be that leader. It felt great to look at all the girls whom I was helping – kind of like the upperclassmen I looked up to during my sophomore year.”

In 2025, Bay Area avenged its 2024 state title loss to D.C. Everest with an 8-0 victory in the championship game.

Moving to the De Pere area and attending Notre Dame beginning her sophomore year, McDonald said her family rented an apartment in the Green Bay area so she could play with the Ice Bears.

“We still have our house in Michigan, but my mom spent most nights with me down here,” she said. “I’m really grateful for my mom. She’d stay with me, drive to work every morning and then be back every night so she could be with me. I couldn’t have done any of this without her.”

Accolades

McDonald has earned plenty of accolades along the way, but none bigger than being named the Molly Engstrom Defensive Player of the Year as Wisconsin’s top high school girls’ hockey defender.

McDonald said receiving the award was a big honor.

“I take pride in my defensive play,” she said. “When I’m out on the ice, I say to myself, ‘How many goals can I not let happen?’ I’m also very offensive for a defenseman, especially with goal scoring. I have a pretty hard shot, so I shoot the puck a lot. I definitely take pride in being a defensive defenseman, too, but I’m not afraid to jump into the play.”

During her 84 career games in three seasons with the Ice Bears, McDonald scored 29 goals – including 11 her senior year – and added 49 assists.

St. Norbert College

Wanting to stay close to home and play collegiate hockey, McDonald said she had her sights set on St. Norbert College in De Pere “for quite some time.”

With the Green Knights – under the tutelage of Coach A.J. Aitken – finishing 18-9-2 this past season and always being near the top of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, McDonald said it was an easy choice, both academically and athletically.

“From a Division III standpoint, I always knew St. Norbert was my No. 1,” she said. “I was in communications with a couple of Division I schools, but realistically, after weighing the pros and cons, I knew St. Norbert was the best place for me. Being close to home was super important to me. I was also looking for a smaller campus, a homey feel and a competitive hockey team.”
McDonald said she will be studying biology at St. Norbert.

“I’ll be on a pre-med track, with the hope of becoming a doctor someday,” she said.