 "Photo:")
There is only one undefeated hockey team on campus as of today. Only one team boasting thrilling wins - one in overtime and one with two goals scored in the final 1:40 of the game. And which team is it?
It's not the national powerhouse coached by Jerry York. It's the female version that is off to the best start in its history, with a 2-0-1 record, including 1-0-1 in the competitive Hockey East.
Led by senior captains Alison Quandt and Sarah Courtney, as well as sophomore offensive machine Deborah Spillane, the Eagles are getting better and better, and this season could be very important .
Head coach Tom Mutch has brought energy and pride into Conte Forum and this season the team has received a preseason pick to finish third in the conference, following its first ever conference semi-final appearance. But a semi-final appearance is no longer the highest goal; the team is hungry for more.
"We are trying to be consistent on the rink, we are trying to continue getting better every day we step on and just try and be really consistent day in and day out," Mutch said. "We want to try and do one better than last year, always continue to climb that ladder."
A big reason for the team's improvement will be the play of Spillane on the front lines. She has already been named as the Hockey East Player of the Week after registering five points, three of them in the opener against Quinnipiac. As a freshman last season she held the team's triple crown, leading it in goals, assists, and total points. It doesn't look like that trend is going to change, which bodes well for the Eagles' success this season.
Another key point is the play of net-minder Quandt, who last season proved she could stand up to a constant barrage of goals when she stopped 42 shots against the No. 10 Providence Friars. On two other occasions she saved over 60 shots in weekend series' against Clarkson and Maine, once again showing her ability to absorb the puck.
Senior forwards Courtney and Nancy Gillis, the alternate captain, along with sophomores Sarah Feldman and Colleen Harris, will bring the rest of the experience to the offensive side. Each saw significant time last season, with Feldman and Harris second and fourth, respectively, on the team's scoring chart. Another key component of the offense will be Becky Zavisza, a freshman from the Berkshire School in Connecticut, where she was named to the All-New England team. Zavisza has already scored three times in her first three games as an Eagle.
On the blue line the team returns senior Jill McInnis, juniors Krystal Strassman and Jessica Wilson, and sophomores Cristin Stuart, Erin Blood, and Rachel Wedig. With this amount of experience the defense should be able to create the consistency Mutch is looking for.
The impressive part about the Eagles' fastest start in their 11-season history, is that the team will only continue to improve as the season goes on. The roster boasts eight freshmen players who will get better with experience and two new assistant coaches, Katie King and Brooke Whitney, have been added to the staff. King is a current member of the U.S. National Team, and is on her way to her third Olympics. She was part of the 1998 team that won a gold medal with Mutch as an assistant coach. As a college player at Brown she was named ECAC Player of the Year in both 1996 and 1997. Whitney was a two time All-American at Northeastern and spent last year as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Connecticut.
Be the first to comment on this article!