Assumption Women’s Ice Hockey

Published 1 year ago -


By Katie Flood, Staff Writer

Women’s Ice Hockey is a Blue and White sport here at Assumption University and the team is making big waves this year. The team’s current record is 9 -1-1 after a large winning weekend. Both Rivier University and the University of Rhode Island fell short as Assumption beat them 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.

The 2019-20 season marked the first year of the team’s existence as interest peaked on campus. Among these interested young women was Katie McGoff, a senior and one of our team captains. McGoff is largely to credit for the establishment of the team and shows her long standing interest often. She says, “When I first decided on where to go to school, Assumption was an obvious choice. The one thing missing was a hockey team. Since my cousin was so involved at Assumption he helped get the process going. As a freshman, a year without hockey felt like a lifetime.”

A year after the process started, there were enough girls to create a team and play against other schools. Many people are astonished to see this team develop from having two forward and defensive lines with a bunch of losses to a team with a full bench and a hunger to win. The team is now in the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Alliance (ECHA) which includes: Anna Maria College, Rivier University, and Worcester State University. They have yet to play either Anna Maria College or Worcester State University.

The team is also in the Independent Women’s Club Hockey League (ICWHL) which includes: Northeastern University (NU), Boston College (BC), University of New Hampshire (UNH), Providence College (PC), Saint Anselm’s College (SAC), Merrimack College (MC), Boston University (BU), University of Vermont (UVM), Paul Smith’s College (PSC), Union College (UC), and University of Connecticut (UCONN). The team’s record in this league for the current 2021-2022 season is 7-0-1 with wins over PC, UVM, UCONN, BU, and UC, and only one loss against NU.

Two players have been recognized by the ECHA thus far. The first, Kaylie Zemke, class of 2025, was recognized November 2nd as Rookie of the Week after landing two goals and one assist in the Hounds’ game against Union College. These goals were Kaylie’s 3rd and 4th goal of this season.

“I am pleased and honored to be named rookie of the week. I am dedicated to every practice and work hard. I have a great deal of competitiveness, although, I like to score goals, I continue to be a team player! I would like to thank my teammates for welcoming me to this team. Roll hounds!” said Kaylie Zemke.

Katie McGoff was the Hounds’ second recognition as Player of the Week ending November 7th with three goals and one assist, having four points over a two game winning weekend for the hounds. Her performance helped the team seal their victory over Rivier University in an ECHA league game.

The head coach, Jack Sweeney, is thrilled with the outcome the team has presented so far.

“The team is currently 9-1-1 overall and they never cease to amaze me. Our early success has everything to do with the players on the team. It is a group that works as hard and as smart as any team that I have ever coached in my 26-year career. They are all so driven to be successful. I give them all the credit. This is about them.” There is such an opportunity for this team with the upcoming season to make an impact in the leagues that they are in. This weekend the hounds will be playing Saint Anselm on Sunday at 6:00 for an ECHA league game.

“I’m so proud to be coaching this group and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and mature as a team and to see where this ferocious group of competitors can take us,” said Coach Sweeney.

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