The puck shoots across the ice at Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion. Women on skates glide quickly after it, slamming into the walls and each other. They approach the net, and the North Country Community College forward slaps a shot. She scores, and the NCCC crowd roars – all 15 of them. The five Syracuse University fans groan in dismay.

It’s a year of new beginnings for the SU women’s club ice hockey team. With a new coach, new players and brand-new uniforms, the Orangewomen are looking forward to a successful season. They’ve started the season with a 1-2 record, with a 10-0 loss over NCCC on Saturday and a 9-0 win Sunday against Skidmore College.

‘I was goalie for the past game, but I usually play center and wing,’ said Sejal Shah, a junior inclusive elementary special education and anthropology major. ‘On Sunday’s game, our coach had everyone switch positions. It was an interesting concept, as all of us were able to play the game from a different perspective.’

The team had three coaches last year, all graduate students. This year, Terry Coogan has stepped up to take charge of the team. Coogan had refereed games for the players in the past, and he volunteered for the position of head coach after two of the former coaches graduated. So far, the team is thrilled with the results.

‘I think he’s a great guy,’ said Heather Olsen, a junior biochemistry and secondary education major. ‘He’s more of a father figure as opposed to previous coaches, and I think his reffing and coaching experience is going to help out a lot.’

‘New coaching is leading to a good turnaround in team spirit and determination,’ said Mel Baum, a senior elementary and special education and sociology major. ‘I’ve been on the team since almost the beginning, and it has grown so much.’

Though SU lacks varsity level hockey teams, the sport remains popular among female students. The team boasts 25 members, including nine rookies. Although the team largely consists of experienced upperclassmen, they feel that the newer members mesh well with the rest of the group.

‘When the older, more experienced players are on the ice, they give pointers to the new players and don’t hesitate to run a drill with them,’ said Jane Britton, a junior communications sciences and disorders major. ‘There is a lot of encouragement and cheering on the ice for the beginning and experienced players, which makes for a good team.’

‘I had gone skating maybe 10 times in my life before joining the team,’ said Alyson Lanciki, a sophomore in the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. ‘I’m still learning how to skate, but I can make goals.’

The Orangewomen are also sporting new apparel on the ice this year. Members of the board surprised the team with new blue and orange jerseys, enough for every member, replacing the older, silk-screened ones that only outfitted half the team.

‘We definitely look like a team,’ Britton said. ‘Uniforms were a big deal to us because we wanted to start off the season looking good.’

The Orangewomen are dedicated to their sport, both on and off the ice. The team meets twice a week for an hour and a half of practice. Fees are $75 per semester and cover ice time, team equipment and travel expenses. Players help create the schedule, set up carpools and practice times, schedule fund raising and handle the finances of the team.

‘Anybody who has been playing for more than a year has a full set of equipment, and that’s not cheap either,’ Olsen said. ‘I probably have about $1,200 worth.’

‘Hockey is a sport that you either love or hate,’ Olsen added. ‘If you fall in love with skating, you just have to keep doing it. The physical and time demands are such that if you didn’t love to do it, you wouldn’t. I have been playing since I was a kid, and I still get butterflies every time we take a face-off.’

Like any sports team, the Orangewomen have their fair share of quirks.

‘Grace Hurd is probably the weirdest person on the team,’ said Christine Lefebvre, a junior communications design major. ‘She likes to slide on her stomach and take out players. Last year, Heather Olsen made slides out of plywood and plastic to strengthen our thighs. She made two of these monstrous things and brought them to practice.’

Olsen has also earned herself the nickname ‘Ho,’ which is commonly used by fans, team members and even the coaches.

‘It’s because of my initials,’ Olsen said. ‘It’s a nice coincidence. I’ve had it since high school. My mom has definitely yelled, ‘Let’s go, Ho!’ a few times in her life. And no, it doesn’t reflect my personal ambitions.’

The rest of the players’ personal ambitions often lead them to Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

‘Whenever we go to an away game at the University of Rochester or SUNY Brockport, we pass the Krispy Kreme store, which is rare to come by. So it is an obvious stop,’ Britton said. ‘We each get our dozen assorted doughnuts to bring back to share with friends, roommates or hide for ourselves. Always a perk for an away game.’

‘It’s almost a tradition,’ Baum said, ‘and we often get lost going there – so I guess that’s a tradition too. And I don’t know how many of those paper baker’s hats we’ve stolen from there.’

The team competes against the University of Rochester, SUNY Brockport, Clarkson University, Elmira College and NCCC. They face each team twice, once at home and once away. Over parents’ weekend the Orangewomen will face Clarkson, their biggest rivals.

‘We’ve been pretty equal over the years, and we’ve had a lot of close games,’ Olsen said. ‘I’ll just say that they’re not exactly the most personable gals on the ice, and they’re known for their roughhousing. I’ve had a few run-ins myself. Plus, we lost to them last year in the semifinals, 5-4, so it would be nice to kick their asses in front of our parents.’

With all of the effort they put into their sport, the Orangewomen would like nothing more than to see a few more seats filled at their games.

‘I’m just glad that women’s hockey is really starting to pick up,’ Baum said. ‘I was surprised that it wasn’t bigger in this area, considering how close we are to Canada. My hometown in Massachusetts was all about hockey, but to come here and have a newly started team was a huge surprise to me. Hopefully, this will be the start to a lot more women’s hockey.’

‘We’re really hoping to drum up some interest in the team,’ Olsen said. ‘We’re having trouble getting butts in the seats down at Tennity.’

Published on October 28, 2003 at 12:00 pm