Eric Drummond

Ponytails do not hinder the Tigers. A demanding pre-season has paid off for the RIT women’s ice hockey team. Captain’s practices and workouts before the regular season have carried the Tigers to a 7-1-1 record as of December 5, but they are undefeated at the Frank Ritter Ice Rink. Under the leadership of coaches Scott McDonald and Jen Gorczynski, the Tigers have proven to be a contender for the ECAC West Title and more.

In the season opener on Halloween versus a Division I team from Robert Morris University, the Tigers immediately made a statement by beating the Colonials 2-1. Missy Hall scored the tie-breaking goal with a mere eight minutes remaining in the third period. Hall, a third year from Ohio who is majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering, has proven to be a leader for the Tigers as an assistant captain.

The captains, fourth year Psychology major Keltie Jones and fourth year Criminal Justice major Dayna Birch, have been key in creating positive team chemistry, which not only allows for getting along off of the ice but on the ice too. From the stands, fans can hear the communication of the players in the rink. Captains make sure teammates maintain the necessary focus before each game, since distractions allow for game-changing mistakes; players must be focused in the locker rooms, on the bench, and, of course, on the ice.

Upperclassmen leadership is important to the team, with six of the top seven scorers returning, but first year standouts Erica Owczarczak and Ali Hills have also been power players. Defender Owczarczak has scored five goals this season, leading the defense. She is a Business major from West Seneca, New York. Hills, also a Business major, is from Honeoye Falls, New York, and is a dynamic player at both forward and offense. She has recorded nine points, the third most on the team, and was named ECAC West Player of the Week for the week ending November 23. Other first years key to the team’s future not only in this season but future seasons as well include Jamie Parhar, Megan Kobar, Maggie Giamo, Amy Torgerson.

Defender and forward Parhar is a threat from the blue line with a powerful slap shot. She hails from Alberta and is majoring in Biology. Psychology major Kobar, also from Alberta, has proven to be an important addition to the team at forward scoring goals at critical times for the Tigers. She was even ECAC West Rookie of the Week for the week ending November 23. Giamo is a team player, giving her teammates opportunities to score, but not holding back on her own chances. She is from Orchard Park, New York, and is majoring in Interior Design. As a first year goalie, Torgerson has seen little playing time but she will have plenty of time to show her skills in future seasons. The eighty minutes that this Psychology and Management major from Missouri has played have been successful and may have shaken off any varsity apprehension.

Eric Drummond

Winning the first game of the season is a solid start for any athletic team and clearly the momentum has continued. At last week’s home game (the first televised women’s hockey game at RIT), the young women displayed their tremendous teamwork and talent by beating the Hamilton College Continentals 6-1. Their success was due to aggressive defensive plays and rapid puck movement in their offensive end. Five different players scored in the game, including Sarah Dagg, a second year Hospitality major, who scored two goals for the Tigers.

Most of the game was spent in the Tiger’s offensive zone, pounding the Hamilton goalie with fifty-eight shots. Although RIT’s penalty kills seemed to be spent mostly in their defensive end, second year Packaging Science major Katie Stack managed to break free and score a shorthanded goal, the team’s sixth this year as well as the most in their conference. When the Tigers had a player in the penalty box, Hamilton worked their own offensive zone effectively and did score once, but fourth year goalie Sandra Grant, a Criminal Justice major from British Columbia, managed to make the seventeen saves necessary to lead the team to victory.

The game against Hamilton only bolstered the Tiger’s momentum and they proceeded to SUNY Oswego’s ice Friday night where they defeated the Lakers 9-2. Both Kylie Mazzetta, a second year Civil Engineering technology major from Colorado, and Dagg earned hat tricks, scoring three goals each, while Stack, Giamo, and Owcarczak each added their own points to the scoreboard. This game was the team’s fourth win in a row.

Last year, the Tigers went 19-7-0 overall. This year, with the addition of six talented first years, the Women’s Hockey team is better overall and they have an excellent chance to be effective in tournament play. They have three All-ECAC West All-Rookie Team selections from last year. Second year Criminal Justice major Amanda Klassen was named the conference’s Co-Rookie of the Year, along with earning second team and All-Rookie Team honors, while Stack and second year Business Marketing and Public Relations major Traci Galbraith were named to the All-Rookie Team. A foundation of the Tigers’ success is their goalie, Grant, a returning starter.

The Tigers return to the Frank Ritter Ice Rink on January 10 at 2 p.m. to take on the Chatham University Cougars.