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D3 Rookie of the Year

2017 DVCHC D3 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: HEIDI PLANT!


#0 -- Heidi Plant -- IUP

Heidi was easily our rookie of the year, in a year where well more than half of our team was comprised of rookies.  She was an outstanding player on and off the ice.  Both in her attitude and performance.  She was a great scorer for us but was also a great playmaker.  She made other players better with her play and was not a selfish player often helping other teammates on the bench, during play, and at practices.  Heidi served as an alternate captain even though our team has an unwritten rule against rookies holding captaincy.  She took it upon herself to assist in teaching/coaching other beginner players during practices even without being asked to and even helped outside of practices.  She was a great natural leader, and I'm excited to see how she will grow and help the team grow next season.


#4 -- Katie Prochilo -- Rowan

New to Rowan, new to hockey and new to the league, Katie came onto the team with an open mind and a ton of humor! She pushed herself and was never afraid to make mistakes. She transferred from the University of Illinois and was a huge asset to our Championship team. We are excited to see Katie finish out her college and hockey experiences with Rowan.


#87 -- Liz DiFilippo -- SJU

We literally had to pull a spectator out of the stands during game number one of 2015/16 to fill in at goalie, and ultimately save our season in the process (thanks Sinead!). While 2016/17 didn’t begin with such fan-yanking dramatics, with last season’s goalie studying abroad, we found ourselves yet again in need of a first-time goalie to come to the rescue. Liz came to our first practice in pads far smaller than any safety-conscious human should comfortably wear and reasonably expect to retain a full set of undamaged limbs. While we took it easy on the shot-blocking aspect of practice until she was properly padded, she was nevertheless eager to dive in and learn as much as she possibly could to help the team. She was so intent on improving her technique, that when the rest of the team would break for water at practice, we had to sometimes force her to step away from dropping into butterflies to sufficiently hydrate herself. Liz is selfless, hard-working, and we’re thankful she decided to begin her hockey journey with us this season.


#19 -- Christina Segerholm -- Rutgers

Christina Segerholm is a hard-working, dedicated, all-out player. She always makes sure to put everything on the ice and leave everything on the ice. Her determination has shown through this year in her development as an outstanding rookie. Not only has her comprehension for the game improved, but also her skills in skating, stick handling, passing and receiving. She might not always get the puck on the first try, but her can-do attitude never falters. She works hard even when no one is looking and contributes to the team in countless ways, both on and off the ice. Her dedication to the team shows in the sacrifices she makes in order to fulfill her responsibilities as our vice president and as an engineering major. Not only that, but the genuine care she has for her teammates and her friends makes her a kindred spirit and role model to us all. Christina is our heart and soul. She motivates all on the Rutgers Women’s Ice Hockey team to strive for their best.


#19 -- Kayleigh Rahbany -- UPenn

Kayleigh is our Rookie of the Year nomination! As a transfer sophomore, we were incredibly lucky to have her on our team and playing in the DVCHC for the first time.  She was the leading goal-scoring on our team, and always remained humble and a team player. Kayleigh not only is a solid ice hockey player, but is also a teammate you can rely on and someone who is always pushing herself to be the best.