Joey Lye '09

Women's ice hockey at Williams began as a club sport in 1973-74 and became a varsity sport in 1993-94. Patch Mason was the first varsity coach for women's ice hockey.

Mason won three Little Three Titles from 1993-98. Amy Carlson was named the first full-time women's varsity coach in 1998–99. In the fall of 1999 the college named Joe Milan as the women's varsity coach.

In Milan's first year at the helm, 1999-2000, he guided the Ephs to the finals of the NESCAC Tournament and their first ever appearance in the national tournament where they finished fourth.

During the 2000-01 season, first-year forward Molly Wasserman became the first Eph women's ice hockey player to be named First Team All-America. In addition, Wasserman led the nation in scoring with 39 goals and 29 (69 points). Classmate Tori Scott also recorded 29 assists on the year to tie Wasserman for the Eph single season record. The Ephs were Little Three Champions, NESCAC finalists, and national semifinalists.

The 2001-02 season was marred by a season-ending injury to goalie Monelle Quevillon early on, but the Ephs did battle back to advance to the NESCAC finals for the second year in a row. The Ephs' 2-1 victory over Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinals was the Panthers' first loss ever in Kenyon Arena (85 games). The Ephs finished the 2001-02 season at 15-10-1.

The 2002-03 Ephs won their fourth consecutive Little Three title, advanced to the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament and garnered their first ever NCAA Tournament berth in compiling a record of 16-9-2. Molly Wasserman was named a Second Team All-America and Second Team All-NESCAC while first year Ellissa Popoff was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team.

Denise McCulloch '08

The 2003-04 Ephs extended their streak of postseason semifinal appearances to five as they posted a record of 15-10 under first year head coach Neil Sinclair. The Ephs also won their fifth consecutive Little Three title. Senior Molly Wasserman netted 26 goals and assisted on 21 to lead the Ephs and she earned All-America honors for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, the American College Hockey Coaches Association named Wasserman the National College Division Player of the Year.
Sophomore defender Ellissa Popoff earned First Team All-NESCAC honors and junior defender Wendy Stone was named to the NESCAC Second Team.

The Ephs won their sixth consecutive Little Three title and advanced to the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament, finishing with a 14-10-2 record.

Assistant coach Michelyne Pinard served as the interim head coach in 2005-06 and led the Ephs to a seventh straight Little Three title and a trip to the NESCAC semifinals. Rachel Barr earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors for the 14-11-1 Ephs.

Shannon Bryant was named head coach of the Ephs for the 2006-07 and her first season at Williams (8-13-4) the product of a small roster, three players studying away in the fall semester and injuries, but the Ephs did advance to the NESCAC Tournament.
Bryant was named an assistant coach of the USA Under 22 Team for its annual summer three-game series with Canada in Lake Placid, NY in 2007.

Philosophy

At the foundation of the Williams Women’s ice hockey program is a holistic approach to both education and hockey. The program is committed to creating a healthy and challenging environment that fosters each student-athlete’s multidimensional growth.  Our student-athlete will be presented with opportunities to become more self-aware, to contribute to a greater cause, and to become personally responsible for her experience. 

The program focuses on developing and sustaining relationships with teammates, coaching staff, professors and members of the surrounding communities. There is a heavy emphasis placed on creating a strong team dynamic including the evaluation of each individual’s contribution to the team, both on and off the ice. We look for leadership, cooperation, and dedication in our recruits and in our graduates.

At Williams, we play an offensive style of hockey that capitalizes on high-tempo play and creativity. The combination of fundamental skill sets, flow drills, and small-area games during practice are designed to help the players become more adaptable and responsive on the ice. This manner of game preparation, in essence recreating game-like situations, enables players to habitually make split-second decisions. These are the mental and physical skills necessary to be competitive in today’s game.

Being a member of the Williams women’s ice hockey program is a privilege, one that is earned every day. The program challenges the athlete daily. It expects the athlete to devote herself to ice hockey, both mentally and physically. Our program has a standard of excellence for its team members. We believe that each member will rise to the challenge and realize the wealth of the individual and collective experience that follows hard work and dedication.

Williams women’s ice hockey is committed to hands-on learning. Our goal as a hockey program is to foster life skills such as hard work, teamwork, dedication, and sacrifice. These are skills that will enable each player to thrive well beyond her years at Williams College.