WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - This weekend's Friday night opener against
Hamilton at the Lansing Chapman Ring at 7:00 PM will mark the start
of not just a new season for the Williams College women's ice
hockey team, but of a new era.
In early June, athletic director Harry Sheehy named Bowdoin
College graduate Marissa O'Neil the head coach of the program,
replacing former head coach Shannon Bryant. Eph players and
fans are hoping that Oneil's youth, energy and passion for the
sport will spark a fire under the skates of the team this season,
as they look to improve upon an 8-16-1 overall record and
make it past the first round of the NESCAC tournament.
O'Neil, who was an award-garnering athlete in both field and ice hockey during her time as a Polar Bear, has already proven her worth as an ice hockey coach, serving as an assistant on an Amherst team that won the NESCAC in 2008 and the NCAA championship in 2009. As someone who has league experience as both a player and coach, she is both confident in her ability and eager to apply her knowledge in her first ever head coaching role.
"I'm excited for the first official drop of the puck tomorrow night," says O'Neil, "and I feel very comfortable behind the bench. I have a dedicated group of student-athletes and a great staff beside me to start things off right."
"I gained invaluable experience at the three schools I worked at and the many coaches I worked with in both ice and field hockey. I've been able to draw from each of those pools of knowledge to provide our program with the necessary tools to succeed."
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| Lauren Zurek '11 |
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| Kait O'Brien '10 |
The new coach has several strong players returning to do battle this season on both sides of the ice. Senior forward and tri-captain Tracey Ferriter led the team last year in points and goals scored with 11 goals and 10 assists, matched in the latter category by junior defenseman and fellow tri-captain Lauren Zurek. Senior defenseman Kait O'Brien was tops on the squad for goals scored by a defenseman with 7 and chipped in 5 assists. Sophomore forwards Eliza Foster and Hannah Systrom round out the top point producers, as they both registered double-digit scoring years with 11 and 10 points respectively.
"Our program has great balance across the classes and we will be relying on everyone, seniors through first-years, to contribute over the course of the season," acknowledges O'Neil. "Our philosophy is about empowering each player to do their part and they all have a role both on and off the ice, so we're not reliant upon certain individuals. We truly believe in the 'team' concept."
Speedy senior forward Taurey Taussig (3 goals, 5 assists) will look to provide additional leadership on the attack alongside juniors Stephanie Berger and Mimi McCarthy, who both made several clutch plays for the Ephs down the stretch last season. Junior Jacqueline Berglass (3 goals, 2 assists) and sophomores Kristen Tubbs (6 goals, 3 assists) and Kate Foley also aim to contribute experience and toughness to the wing positions.
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| Sara Plunkett '10 |
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| Eliza Foster '12 |
Returning All-NESCAC netminder Sara Plunkett hopes to pick up where she left off in 2009, as she boasted .910 save percentage and a 2.68 goals against average in her 25 games between the pipes. She also recorded three shutouts while denying an impressive 27.16 shots per game. Freshman Catherine Tremble will be shadowing Plunkett's every move, as she hopes to learn as much as she can from the sure-handed veteran in her role as back-up goalkeeper.
Anchoring the circles in front of Plunkett along with Zurek and O'Brien will be junior Allison Page and sophomore Sarah Herr, both smart, patient defensemen in their own right. Of the rest of the freshman class, defenders Sam Weinstein and Aimee Dennett intend to make an impact behind the blue line, while forwards Becca Nichols and Nicolle Perry will try to hustle their way into contributing roles this season. While these youngsters are new to the other teammates, O'Neil is still new to everybody, and she has been making a concerted effort this offseason to get a better understanding of the kind of team and the kind of student-athletes she has.
"I made a point of spending time with my players this fall in an effort for us to learn more about one another knowing our season wasn't beginning until Nov 1st," says O'Neil. "Individual meetings, lunch with the different classes, and weekly captains meetings really opened the lines of communication between the players and the coaching staff, and I feel that is already apparent on the ice."
The transition into the role of first-year coach is also made easier by the presence of assistant coach and 2009 Williams graduate Joey Lye, who was second on the team in scoring with 14 points last season (6 goals, 8 assists) good for All-NESCAC honors. Lye's rapport with the returning teammates should prove to be vital source of unity and camaraderie early in the year and throughout the entire campaign.
With a multitude of versatile and seasoned skaters returning, and an excited and enthusiastic young coaching staff behind them, the Ephs could beon the verge a turn-around season. The Ephs will have to contend with some talented and establsihed programs this year, but this does not deter a confident O'Neil. In fact, the challenge only seems to excite her more.
"This is the first year we don't kickoff the season with the Panther/Cardinal Classic," she notes. "Instead we open up with two conference opponents, with whom we split games against last year, and I feel it will be great opening weekend of competition. As always, parity within the league will challenge us week in and week out. In addition we face RIT the first week of December (currently ranked 7th in the country in the USCHO DIII Poll), so we have to be prepared for all 24 regular season games. It's a tough road ahead, but our players and our staff welcomes the competition intently."
