Entering her fifth season, women’s hockey coach Colleen Harris knows what it takes to win at the college level. After coaching the team to a 12-11-4 record in 2013-2014, a season that included winning the Codfish Bowl Tournament and playing in the ECAC East Tournament, Harris and her players have high hopes heading into the season.
“There is a solid group of upperclassmen returning who are experienced and eager to leave their mark,” says Harris, “and we have a solid troop of newcomers who should make an impact as well.”
The strength of the team will be its experience, with 14 seniors returning this season. Impact players from last year like Senior goaltender Moe Bradley and Junior forward Samantha Fallon are back to help lead the team.
“Our seniors know what it will take to win an ECAC Championship and they are working hard to help the underclassmen understand what it is going to take to make this a reality,” Harris says.
Last year’s team dominated in the defensive zone, boasting a 1.82 goals against average and recording a team save-percentage of .931. Harris hopes that defensive success can continue into this year’s campaign.
“We are really hoping to continue to shut down our opponents in our D-zone,” says Harris.
She is quick to suggest that the team has set goals for improvement, specifically on the offensive side of the puck. Last year the team averaged 2.19 goals per game, tallying 59 over the span of 27 contests. Harris hopes that this year’s team can top last year’s mark.
“We have set high goals for ourselves in order to increase scoring opportunities,” she says.
“We want all four of our lines to be considered a threat and are working diligently to make that happen.”
A veteran-heavy squad will play as an advantage for Harris and the team. Underclassmen will be able to learn from the experiences of seniors and juniors and to help grow their game. Harris is quick to acknowledge the influence that the more experienced players have had on the new team members.
“The leadership comes from all of our 14 seniors and they all have had an impact on the underclassmen and newcomers,” she says.
The season begins at home on Oct. 31 with a two day double-header against William Smith College of New York before the Beacons tackle a five game stretch of conference games beginning on Nov. 7.
The Beacons will also seek to defend their Codfish Bowl Tournament Championship when they face SUNY Canton in the first round of the 8th annual tournament on Jan. 2.
Following the Codfish Bowl Tournament, the Beacons close out the season by playing eleven straight conference games — seven of which will be played at the Beacon’s Ice Arena.