Maya Kasper

> *I get it. I always feel like I’m hanging on. It’s exhausting constantly being nervous and trying to fit in with this group. So I wanna join you.* –Maya joining the Don't Bothers
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**Maya Kasper** is a main character in the *The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers*. A member of the Don't Bothers/Mighty Ducks and Lauren's best friend (later Sofi) on the team, she was part of the popular girls clique at school.

## Biography

Maya was born in New York. When she was younger, she used to have a thick New York accent, and was often teased for it. Over time she eventually learned to overcome her accent and it disappeared completely. While she is rather pretty on the outside, Maya has shown to struggle fitting in with big groups, but that changed when she started to play hockey. She also has a rebellious side, such as when she was with a boy to get matching piercings.

### Game On

Maya is shown sitting with a group of popular girls in the school cafeteria. When Nick Ganz walks over and fails to invite them to tryout for the new hockey team he and his friend Evan Morrow are starting, Maya looks over at him in guilt.

The next day, when Evan makes a big announcement about the hockey team he is starting, Maya becomes the second person (and second girl, after Lauren Gibby) to join the hockey team. She admits she struggled to fit in with the girl group she was in, and as a result, left them for good to play hockey. She joins her new teammates on the ice at the Hendrix Hockey Pavilion, where Coach Alex decides to name the new team the Don't Bothers. She also catches her new coach figure skating briefly at the Ice Palace.

### Hockey Moms

During a Don't Bothers practice, both Maya and Lauren notice how fatigued Sofi is after the latter failed to stop an incoming puck pass with her stick. Maya compares the situation to a "hot guy" asking her out and when he does, realizes he is not. Her mom, Lisa Kasper, comes to participate in the Hockey Moms Skills Competition. Throughout the rest of the episode, Maya is seen cheering her on from the seats of Hendrix Pavilion.

### Cherry Picker

Maya found Lauren desperately searching for her cape, and asked if she was okay. When she found Lauren's cape among a pile of clothes, Lauren grabbed it from her and hugged it. Seeing how intense the ordeal was, Maya asked Lauren why it was such a big deal, who told her she suffered from scoliosis in 3rd grade and had to wear a back brace. She was given a cape by her father to cover it after she was teased by her classmates. Maya then told Lauren about the time she had a New York accent and said she sounded like a truck driver, which was something she worked on making disappear when she moved to Minnesota. The two then decided to make a Tik Tok video, with Maya speaking in her New York accent and Lauren talking in fantasy speak. She enjoyed making the video and laughing with video, she said she is "so posting this."

The next day, however, Maya uploads a different Tik Tok video online with a similar approach without Lauren, who confronted her about it. Maya claims she was trying to protect her from being embarrassed but Lauren walked away after telling her she didn't have to change her tone when they were not playing hockey. Initially feeling guilty about hurting Lauren's feelings, Maya eventually discovered Lauren was keeping to herself when her cosplay group questioned their friendship. Maya calls out Lauren for her hypocrisy and walks away.

The girls' anger towards each other was also affecting their gameplay, leading Nick to intervene and tell them to put their differences aside for the game since his best friend Evan's dad was watching him. With a tied score of 4-4, Maya and Lauren called a truce, and both set up Evan for his scoring chance to win the game.

The following day at school, Maya showed up dressed as a warrior princess, not caring what her clique thinks. She sees Lauren wearing more chic clothing and tells her they can get along together on the ice, as well as anywhere regardless of what others think. The two give each other a hug and they both walk over to the Don't Bother's lunch table.

### Spirit of the Ducks

Maya is present with the Ducks when they celebrate their first ever victory, while also enjoying Logan's pancakes at the Ice Palace. She also boasts at two of the Ducks players Trevor and Ruby Reddick along with her teammates outside of District 5 Middle.

The next day, she and the Don't Bothers play scrimmage with the original Mighty Ducks team, with Maya serving as a training partner for Lauren when Connie Moreau teaches them about checking the opposing player. However, the fun is cut short when she learns Evan was practicing with the current Ducks team as Sofi points out.

### Pond Hockey

Maya, like the rest of her team, is furious when Evan walks into the Ice Palace before they practice. In the locker room,

### Head Games

Maya, along with Lauren and Sofi, decide to have a girls weekend together in light of their victory and placing 2nd. Maya would ask a boy named Xander at the hotel to go to the dance with her, leaving Lauren all alone.

However, throughout the evening, she would break up with Xander, just as quickly as she got together.

### State of Play

Maya and the Don't Bothers play terrific during the finals, even edging out the much heavier, taller Lumberjacks team to advance to the final matchup against the Mighty Ducks.

Before they are able to set foot on the ice, however, it is discovered Sofi injured her knee during the Lumberjacks game. When she refuses to sit out the championship game, Maya joins her teammates and decides to forfeit rather than risk seeing Sofi get hurt further. The Mighty Ducks win as a result of the forfeiture, however, Coach T brags that the Don't Bothers wouldn't have beat them anyway. Willing to settle the score, both teams agree to an unofficial, underground match at the Ice Palace, placing a bet to whoever wins the game, either takes the Mighty Ducks name or the Don't Bothers disappear forever.

## Relationships

Maya is a rather pretty girl, and as a result, has experience with dating boys. She briefly dates a boy named Xander when the Don't Bothers head to States, but it quickly becomes an on/off relationship. It is also apparent she may be slightly boy crazy, as she ditches her friends Lauren and Sofi when she goes out with Xander. They break up for good before the team plays their first match in the finals.

In Season 2, Nick expresses his feelings towards her.

## Trivia

* Her belly button gets reinfected every 3 weeks after she was dared to get it pierced.
* Maya once had a thick New York accent.