Team eyes championship after year-long absence
As winter approaches, the women’s club hockey team is gearing up for the season.
After not playing a game or practicing for the entirety of the last school year due to covid-19, the team is back in action and gearing up for their first game against Slippery Rock University on Dec. 4.
Originally, the team had their first game scheduled against George Mason University on Nov. 13, but it was ultimately cancelled because the Patriots did not have enough players to make the trip. At the last minute, St. Joe’s scheduled a scrimmage against the University of Pennsylvania and won 8-0.
Sydney Schreiber ’23 said it feels amazing to be on the ice as a team again.
“It’s a really great feeling to be back together,” Schreiber said. “All the girls really missed each other.”
The first year and sophomore players have not played a game yet. Clara Tomann ’22 said the team is up for the challenge of building camaraderie with many fresh faces.
“The whole season will just be learning and working towards playing with girls we’ve never played with before,” Tomann said.
Even though many of the players have not yet played with each other in a game, Sarah Gotthelf ’23 thinks the younger players are prepared to step up.
“I definitely have some higher expectations just because we do have some new girls that have played before which is super exciting,” Gotthelf said.
Schreiber said she wants the team’s play in practice to translate to live action.
“We all need to trust each other and put in our best effort, which we’re totally capable of doing, we’ve been doing it in practice,” Schreiber said.
The future is very bright for this team, and according to its players, they are ready to win. With the experience of the juniors and seniors and contributions from younger players, this team is determined to make their presence felt, according to Tomann.
“I expect to win,” Tomann said. “We have a bigger bench than we’ve had in the past.”
Before the team is ready to face Slippery Rock, there are a few things that they have to work on, according to Gotthelf.
“I think we need to focus on shooting the puck because if we don’t shoot, we don’t score,” Gotthelf said. “Also working on our game plans and just figuring out where we need to be on the ice.”
While Finklestein is ready for the team to have a fun season and win, she has her sights set on the ultimate goal. The team is looking to reach the same heights as the 2018 team did, when it captured the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference championship.
“Hopefully we can win another championship,” Finklestein said.
