It is nice to finally have some time to sit back and reflect on the first half of the season with the first semester coming to a close. Currently, my players are studying (at least they'd better be) for finals and getting packed to go home for their limited winter break.
Almost a week ago, we played our last game of the semester against UW-Eau Claire and in what was a thrilling 4-3 win in overtime, our second overtime win of the year. The goal was scored by freshman defenseman Molly Wallner (more commonly known as "Mole" and no, I don't ask the origin of nicknames), and it was her first career goal as a Forester. Of the 9 new players we have this year, 7 have scored their first Forester goal(s) in this first half of the season.
We have definitely had our share of ups and downs in the 10 games that have been played so far, rounding our record out to 5-4-1 going into Christmas break. All of our losses have been to teams ranked in the top ten in that nation. Well, actually three of our losses came from the same team but who's counting? Regardless, I view this as a very successful start to the season, being able to rely on so many new players to come in and contribute right away. Freshmen Kim Herring and Mira Trebilcock recorded their first career hattricks the weekend that we played Finlandia University and sophomore Alyssa Wintermute recorded her second career shutout against Chatham University in our first game of the season.
While we have struggled with consistency with such a young team, what has awoken is the desire to win and be the best. Molly's overtime goal in the UW-Eau Claire game was definitely a team effort that began from the start of that game. Although there were minor setbacks in the third period, the fact that the team did not give up and pushed even harder was probably what impressed me most about that win. Oh, and the fact that a defenseman can actually pick corners! Just kidding, Mole. But to get our second overtime win of the year (Kim Herring scored the game winner against St. Mary's University), really showed the character of this team and what they are capable of.
With winter break upon us, it will give the players time to rest and regroup before they come back for practice on January 1st and, hopefully, they will come back ready to start where we left off. For myself, I will take this time to actually have a non-hockey life and freeze my butt off at places outside of our "well-insulated" ice rink! I love winter.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Carisa
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Lots of Youth
We are now about two weeks into our official season and I can't help but look at all the new players and think -- Are we really this young? With 18 skaters and 9 of them being new faces, it is definitely going to be a challenge to get everyone on the same page this year!
In the past few days, we have started to work on systems with forechecking and defensive z0ne coverage. What pleases me about the team this year is the willingness and eagerness to learn. I almost feel like a mom with kids...... I said almost. I don't know if that can be attributed to youth or my stellar coaching. To help me sleep at night, I'll say it's a little bit of both.
Next weekend is our first game against Chatham College. Chatham plays in the ECAC West league and typically, we don't get a chance to play teams from leagues outside of our own or the MIAC. I'm really not sure what to expect. Currently, we are still attending to some injuries as sophomore Lynn Switaj, our returning top scorer from last season, has not fully practiced with the team yet.
There is never good news with any injury but the positive spin is that the girls on the team will have the chance to step up their level of play. As freshman, it's important to establish your role early on and we have numerous players who are capable of controlling the outcome of a game, including upperclassmen who have more experience under their belt.
Recently, team captains were named as juniors Jamie Sauer, Courtney Bean, and Carolyn Thiess were chosen by their peers. All three are defensemen and all three bring a different element to the locker room and the ice.
I know I say this all the time but I am very excited with the leadership we have and with the talent potential that I've seen the past few weeks. There definitely comes a time when practice is enough and let's see who can put the puck in the net when it really counts. The puck drops for us next Saturday at 3:00 pm and you can call Ticketmaster to reserve your seats now.
Hope to see you there!
Carisa
In the past few days, we have started to work on systems with forechecking and defensive z0ne coverage. What pleases me about the team this year is the willingness and eagerness to learn. I almost feel like a mom with kids...... I said almost. I don't know if that can be attributed to youth or my stellar coaching. To help me sleep at night, I'll say it's a little bit of both.
Next weekend is our first game against Chatham College. Chatham plays in the ECAC West league and typically, we don't get a chance to play teams from leagues outside of our own or the MIAC. I'm really not sure what to expect. Currently, we are still attending to some injuries as sophomore Lynn Switaj, our returning top scorer from last season, has not fully practiced with the team yet.
There is never good news with any injury but the positive spin is that the girls on the team will have the chance to step up their level of play. As freshman, it's important to establish your role early on and we have numerous players who are capable of controlling the outcome of a game, including upperclassmen who have more experience under their belt.
Recently, team captains were named as juniors Jamie Sauer, Courtney Bean, and Carolyn Thiess were chosen by their peers. All three are defensemen and all three bring a different element to the locker room and the ice.
I know I say this all the time but I am very excited with the leadership we have and with the talent potential that I've seen the past few weeks. There definitely comes a time when practice is enough and let's see who can put the puck in the net when it really counts. The puck drops for us next Saturday at 3:00 pm and you can call Ticketmaster to reserve your seats now.
Hope to see you there!
Carisa
Thursday, August 14, 2008
So Long Summer......
Hello Again,
So summer has finally come to an end -- at least for the Academic world. It's hard to believe that the kids will be returning to campus and I will be returning to my desk!
My summer consisted of working a few hockey camps here and one in Aspen, CO. While of course this is enjoyable for me, in terms of a "vacation", I went out to Calgary to visit a friend/teammate from college right at the beginning of their Stampede.......Needless to say, not much rest was to be had. It's always great to catch up with old friends OUTSIDE of the Facebook realm.
Seeing my old teammate really made me realize that the incoming players for this year are just about to begin an extraordinary journey of making their lifelong friends from their new teammates and classmates. I always disliked when people said that college was the best four years of your life (ok, five for me but it was a medical redshirt!!), because it worried me that I would peak at the age of 22 and would be saying things like 'the good 'ol days' before I could even legally rent a car. But, I do agree that there is an element of your years at college that can never be repeated and should always be cherished.
For this fall, we have nine new players ready and eager to try out for the team. Players are coming from as far west as Seattle and as far east as Dover, NH. Of the nine players, only two are defenseman (as we have a solid D core returning from last year) and the other seven are forwards. Each of them bring a different element of the game, whether it be goal scorer or grinder. It will definitely be tough to replace the offensive production from last year as we lost All-American and all-time leading goal scorer, Courtney DeHoey. So, we have our work cut out for us.
I think our team will have a totally different makeup this year and I'm excited to see what kind of chemistry is produced on and off the ice. Since we have no seniors, we will be a very young team which has its pluses and minuses. Regardless, I'm definitely excited to welcome the new freshmen and transfer student that will be arriving on campus in the next week or so! I think change can be a very positive thing and I hope my team can embrace that and use it to their advantage!
I hope everyone had a great summer and are looking forward to seeing the Foresters step on the ice in a few months.
So summer has finally come to an end -- at least for the Academic world. It's hard to believe that the kids will be returning to campus and I will be returning to my desk!
My summer consisted of working a few hockey camps here and one in Aspen, CO. While of course this is enjoyable for me, in terms of a "vacation", I went out to Calgary to visit a friend/teammate from college right at the beginning of their Stampede.......Needless to say, not much rest was to be had. It's always great to catch up with old friends OUTSIDE of the Facebook realm.
Seeing my old teammate really made me realize that the incoming players for this year are just about to begin an extraordinary journey of making their lifelong friends from their new teammates and classmates. I always disliked when people said that college was the best four years of your life (ok, five for me but it was a medical redshirt!!), because it worried me that I would peak at the age of 22 and would be saying things like 'the good 'ol days' before I could even legally rent a car. But, I do agree that there is an element of your years at college that can never be repeated and should always be cherished.
For this fall, we have nine new players ready and eager to try out for the team. Players are coming from as far west as Seattle and as far east as Dover, NH. Of the nine players, only two are defenseman (as we have a solid D core returning from last year) and the other seven are forwards. Each of them bring a different element of the game, whether it be goal scorer or grinder. It will definitely be tough to replace the offensive production from last year as we lost All-American and all-time leading goal scorer, Courtney DeHoey. So, we have our work cut out for us.
I think our team will have a totally different makeup this year and I'm excited to see what kind of chemistry is produced on and off the ice. Since we have no seniors, we will be a very young team which has its pluses and minuses. Regardless, I'm definitely excited to welcome the new freshmen and transfer student that will be arriving on campus in the next week or so! I think change can be a very positive thing and I hope my team can embrace that and use it to their advantage!
I hope everyone had a great summer and are looking forward to seeing the Foresters step on the ice in a few months.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
My First Ever Blog
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Well, I'm definitely excited to have my own blog! Like Coach Fritz, I never actually thought I would be saying that. So, welcome to my thoughts.
In any event, I'm excited to be a part of the great hockey tradition here and definitely excited to be a part of the much anticipated hockey rink renovation. And that's pretty much where my solicitation ends. I think it's important for people to realize that although the women's program has only been Varsity for the past 8 seasons, there were so many women before who still laced up the skates, showed up to their practices with the same dedication and will to win that my current and former players had. I cannot thank those strong women enough for getting this program off the ground. We truly would not be where we are today without at least one of them saying, "Hey, if the guys can do it, so can we!"
I understand that line of thinking mostly because I was the biggest tomboy growing up and always wanted to be involved in sports and do whatever my older brother did. Only because I know he'd never read this I can say that at one point, I finally surpassed him in hockey skills. Actually, many of you may know my brother so that just makes me more credible. (And for the interest of my safety, he's still a wonderful brother)
Regardless, it's been quite the three years here with an exceptional group of young ladies. Graduation was a few weeks ago and although I stepped in when this particular graduating class were sophomores, it was still somewhat surreal to see them all grown up, ready to take on the world. I hope that at some point, I made an impact on their lives. I also hope that many of them will get involved in hockey -- hopefully in the coaching aspect and not as a violent, whacko parent that you read about in the paper and say "Who ARE these people?!"
Knowing that this, of course, will never occur from a Lake Forest graduate, it then excites me to think about the incoming freshman class for the fall. So far we have 7 new players and one (potential) transfer. All 7 (or 8) players will be able to come in and make an immediate impact. One of the things I've strived for with recruiting is, besides talent, having a team that will be harmonious with one another. We've all seen it where the team of superstars cannot accomplish anything because each player is out for their own personal gain. I hope that for next year and the years to come, we will have successful teams that work hard but more importantly, enjoy playing together and really remember their time here.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Weekend and have saved up their sick days for the upcoming beautiful summer weather.
Well, I'm definitely excited to have my own blog! Like Coach Fritz, I never actually thought I would be saying that. So, welcome to my thoughts.
In any event, I'm excited to be a part of the great hockey tradition here and definitely excited to be a part of the much anticipated hockey rink renovation. And that's pretty much where my solicitation ends. I think it's important for people to realize that although the women's program has only been Varsity for the past 8 seasons, there were so many women before who still laced up the skates, showed up to their practices with the same dedication and will to win that my current and former players had. I cannot thank those strong women enough for getting this program off the ground. We truly would not be where we are today without at least one of them saying, "Hey, if the guys can do it, so can we!"
I understand that line of thinking mostly because I was the biggest tomboy growing up and always wanted to be involved in sports and do whatever my older brother did. Only because I know he'd never read this I can say that at one point, I finally surpassed him in hockey skills. Actually, many of you may know my brother so that just makes me more credible. (And for the interest of my safety, he's still a wonderful brother)
Regardless, it's been quite the three years here with an exceptional group of young ladies. Graduation was a few weeks ago and although I stepped in when this particular graduating class were sophomores, it was still somewhat surreal to see them all grown up, ready to take on the world. I hope that at some point, I made an impact on their lives. I also hope that many of them will get involved in hockey -- hopefully in the coaching aspect and not as a violent, whacko parent that you read about in the paper and say "Who ARE these people?!"
Knowing that this, of course, will never occur from a Lake Forest graduate, it then excites me to think about the incoming freshman class for the fall. So far we have 7 new players and one (potential) transfer. All 7 (or 8) players will be able to come in and make an immediate impact. One of the things I've strived for with recruiting is, besides talent, having a team that will be harmonious with one another. We've all seen it where the team of superstars cannot accomplish anything because each player is out for their own personal gain. I hope that for next year and the years to come, we will have successful teams that work hard but more importantly, enjoy playing together and really remember their time here.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Weekend and have saved up their sick days for the upcoming beautiful summer weather.
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