Lauren Gibby

> *I’ve never played hockey, but I think I might have an inner rage that really needs an outlet.* –Lauren upon joining the Don't Bothers
>
>

**Lauren Gibby** is a main character in Season 1 of the *The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers*. A member of the Don't Bothers and Maya's best friend, she often dresses like a warrior princess and serves as the team's enforcer.

## Biography

Lauren Gibby was a shy girl, and in order to fit in, made friends with a group of girls who liked playing fantasy and cosplay. In the 3rd grade, Lauren had scoliosis and had to wear a back brace. When she was made fun of for wearing the back brace, her father gave her a cape to cover it, and it was during this moment on she developed her "warrior princess" style.

She also has an eccentric personality, when she mentions she had a crippling fear of death, and that there is a vast nothingness waiting for everyone, but at the same time, it gives her a sense of peace.

### Game On

Lauren first appears when Nick Ganz failed to impress a group of popular girls in the school cafeteria to come tryout for his and Evan's new hockey team. She makes a remark that she before sitting down and crushing her drinking can with her left hand in frustration.

The next day, when Evan Morrow calls out for anyone to come tryout for the hockey team, Lauren is the first to stand up and say she will join the team, saying she needs to let out some anger inside of her. She also admits to owning a pair of nunchuks, possibly as a means of self defense, but Evan tells her not to bring them.

Together with her other teammates, they make their way onto the ice at the Hendrix Pavilion where Alex Morrow calls the team the Don't Bothers. She later watches Alex figure skating on the ice at the Ice Palace along with her teammates.

### Dusters

Lauren introduces herself to the team, and says she is a warrior princess, who is accepting of her style of wardrobe even if others find it weird. While some are already weirded out by her story, Alex is happy to welcome her to the team.

During the team's first practice, everyone grabs a hockey stick and plays with large beach balls, with Lauren and Maya Kasper seen passing the ball to each other. At one point, she throws the edge of her hockey stick like a boomerang, which comes towards her and Nick as they both skate away from it.

Later that day, the Don't Bothers sneak into the Hendrix Pavilion, with Lauren bringing her nunchuks. However they were not necessary, as the team was able to successfully take the hockey equipment they needed from the facility's lost and found room.

The next day, the team is presented with their uniforms, with Lauren assigned number 23. She is placed opposite of Maya from the faceoff circle, and behind Evan Morrow. The Don't Bothers were losing by many goals and at one point, both Lauren and Maya had to help Koob with his balance after he failed to stop a shot. After the game, Lauren along with rest of the team were all tired out and exhausted. However, they would have a final postgame practice on the ice to better prepare themselves for the next game.

### Breakaway

When Gordon Bombay asks where Winnie is, Lauren sees her through the window, overlooking the ice where Cocoa Chad is giving her some belongings. She is later seen practicing with the team on two occasions, when Bombay is on the Zamboni cleaning the ice, and when Sofi arrives criticizing Evan for getting a "B grade" on her assignment.

During a brutal game against none other than the Mighty Ducks, with the Don't Bothers down by 17 goals, Lauren tells Coach Alex they're "getting killed out there" and hopes she can come up with a plan. With a secret play written in Alex's book courtesy of Gordon Bombay, Lauren joins the other Don't Bothers in a clever strategy where goalie Koob hides the puck in his glove and passes it to Evan while Logan makes it look like he is in possession by being on top of it. The team ends up scoring a goal and celebrate, despite losing to the Ducks. Following the game, Lauren is also happy to learn Sofi has decided to leave the Ducks and join the Don't Bothers.

### Hockey Moms

During a Don't Bothers practice, Lauren notices how fatigued Sofi was based on her stick not catching the puck, sharing this with Maya. Lauren's mom, Christine Gibby, comes to join her when all the players' parents get together for the annual Hockey Moms Skills competition.

Throughout the episode, Lauren is seen cheering on her mom at the skills competition, with Christine scoring a point for the Don't Bothers moms during the target shot test.

### Cherry Picker

One day after practice, Lauren was desperately looking for her cape. She refused to leave the Ice Palace until she found it. Maya discovered it under her belongings, and Lauren hugged her cape really tight. When asked why this was a big deal, Lauren would tell Maya she started wearing capes after suffering from scoliosis in the 3rd grade, and her father gave it to her to hide it. Maya agreed 3rd grade wasn't fun, and told Lauren she was made fun of her New York accent. The girls decided to record a TikTok video together, with Lauren dressed in her warrior princess outfit, and Maya in her cool girl clothes. In the video they dance around, and then swap clothes mid-video while talking in funny voices.

The next day, however, Lauren is surprised to find out Maya didn't upload her video online with them together and would confront her about it.

The next day, she

### Pond Hockey

Lauren, much like the rest of her team, is still mad at Evan for participating at a Ducks practice. She slams her fist on the counter of the cafeteria when she sees Sam having lost his will to do anything crazy, and also rips open a bag of chips with her teeth, all in disappointment of Evan creating heartbreak for the Don't Bothers.

In the Ice Palace locker room, Lauren hi-fives Logan when he suggests Evan should play for the Hornets, their next opponent. However, the tension in the locker room would grow from being mad at Evan's alleged betrayal, to arguments between the other Don't Bothers players. In Lauren's case, she called out Maya for having a lack of loyalty and a history of ditching people. The arguing would not stop until Alex finally walked in and ended it. When she suggested everyone should make up by making friendship bracelets, Lauren, still mad, called them bracelets "full of lies".

In that moment, the power to the Ice Palace went out, and Lauren and her teammates would practice hockey in an outdoor pond. After practice ends, Evan once again apologizes for his actions, renouncing his captaincy and saying he won't wear the "C" on his jersey until he earns it back. Lauren nods in agreement and says she forgives him. Later that night, the team goes out for pizza at Twin Cities Slice and Lauren shares her experience playing outdoor hockey for the first time.

With the team now in good relations, they are able to defeat the Hornets and win the game, with Lauren assisting on Maya's game winning goal.

### Change on the Fly

Following a 5-4 victory over the Bloomington Bears, Lauren and the Don't Bothers learn through Koob he believes they have been playing so good because he has been wearing the same socks for the last 3 games. Lauren buys into the superstition, after saying she believes in magic stones, potions, and salamanders.

During the team's hot streak, Lauren is shown flipping a player from the Hawks using her back as he tumbles onto the ice. When Alex is interviewed about the underdog team's recent success and says she hasn't forgotten about her mantra of putting fun first in hockey, Lauren replies from the bench "What a load of crap" in response to the hard conditions she and the others have been facing from her coaching style as of recent.

In their next game against the Huskies, a must win scenario should they wish to advance to the finals, Lauren could no longer handle the stench and discomfort of her socks, removing them in disgust. She complimented Logan's game winning goal after the match, but was an unfortunate witness to Coach Alex's breakdown in the locker room when the team did not play using her strategy. Ultimately, she was in favor of letting go of Alex as head coach.

### Head Games

On the trip to states, Lauren decides to have a girls weekend with Maya and Sofi. As part of the pact, they each agree to have little communication with the boys. While they wait to get checked in at the hotel, Lauren tries to come up with a secret handshake or dance with Sofi. Just when they were about to have fun, Maya ditches them when she finds a boy named Xander to go to the arcade with. Lauren tries to cheer Sofi up, saying she brought two capes; however, when Sofi feels guilty for a text message she sent to Evan, Lauren is sad but still supportive when she says she'll have a girls weekend by herself.

While she is at the party standing at a table all alone, Maya races to her direction and tells her she thinks Xander is the boy for herself. The fling is short lived, and when Maya begins feeling disappointed, Lauren cheers her up, reminding her what a great person she is, and that her girl squad understands her. But she is soon caught by surprise when Maya sucks up to Xander who gives her a stuffed doll as an apology gift. Lauren turns away in disgust.

The next day, Lauren sarcastically asks her friend if she went apartment hunting with Xander, to which she says they broke up for good, since he didn't share any common interests after all. Soon after, Lauren is stunned to learn Coach Bombay's legal trouble from the past caught up with him and the team may be forced to forfeit. But when Alex arrives to save the team from trouble, Bombay is reinstated and Lauren and the Don't Bothers celebrate as they gear up for the big game at the Minnesota Igloo.

### State of Play

Lauren and the Don't Bothers manage to outplay most of the teams in the tournament, including a tough game against the Lumberjacks that was decided by one goal. The Don't Bothers advance to the final round, with their opponents being the Mighty Ducks. When it is discovered that Sofi hurt her knee during the Lumberjacks game, Lauren chooses to forfeit rather than risk seeing her teammate and friend get injured further. However, Coach T brags that even if the Don't Bothers didn't forfeit, they still would've lost to his Mighty Ducks. However, Coach Alex and Gordon Bombay place a bet where should the Don't Bothers win against the Ducks, they take their name for good. If they lose, the existing Ducks team remains and the Don't Bothers walk away forever.

At the Ice Palace, the Don't Bothers play an unofficial exhibition game against the Ducks and are just as tough as the last time they faced each other. Lauren gets checked and tripped by the Ducks due to their dirty play, calling it a "bloodbath" once her team is in the locker room. After an uplifting speech from Sofi, reminding them they are all winners regardless of the outcome, Lauren stands up and says Maya is the best friend she's ever had and the only one she needs. Maya replies the same and calls her a real, true friend and they both hug.

During the final period of the game, and remembering Sofi's words, Lauren plays "blindfold hockey" and passes the puck to Tibor Capek. Ultimately Nick scores the goal, and near the final stretch, the Don't Bothers win the game against the Mighty Ducks. As part of the bet, the Don't Bothers relinquish their name and acquire the Mighty Ducks name

## Playing style

Despite her thin stature, Lauren is very tough when it comes to protecting her teammates on the ice, particularly Maya. This is especially effective when she is playing on defense and is able to use her strength to bodycheck opponents.