Kristen had a breakout year for Penn. She was dependable on the blue-line and still managed to have a career year, setting the bar with 9 goals and 8 assists. Kristen played a variety of roles on our squad this season. Without hesitation, her defensive mindset helped to kick-start our power play from in front of the net, creating an "office" at both ends of the ice. She is the type of player that will give it her all every shift. Her teammates know that her smart play emphasizes her passion for this team and her desire to win.
When Ally came to our team last season as a freshman, she had only ever played wing. We were in need of defensive players and as one of the more experienced players, the coaches decided that Ally was a good choice for defense. It was as if she played the position her entire life; she was a natural. Over the past two seasons, she has grown into an amazing defensewoman and we can always count on her to be where she needs to be and do what she needs to do.
Sometimes Ally would rush the puck and have great scoring chances and get caught out of position. Of course, this gave some of us coaches minor heart attacks. Ally never failed us though, she would skate her butt off and get back into position, sometimes even stopping odd-man-rushes and preventing scoring chances.
Off the ice, Ally is a go-with-the-flow type of person, but as soon as she steps on the ice, it’s like she is a completely different person. She has a fantastic work ethic during practices and gives her all during games.
Few teams have defensemen that other teams game plan to stop, but even after she changed her number, it was clear that beating Loyola meant stopping Emily. Few were better with the puck on her stick, and she made our team click on so many levels. Her game-winning goal in overtime of the DVCHC semifinals was the most memorable moment in our team's history, but I'll more remember the look in a senior's eyes in what could be her last game when, after playing the entire first overtime period, she told me she was playing the rest of the game and winning it for us. It broke my heart that she wasn't able to, but made me glad for four years of someone that talented and dedicated. In addition, Emily was selected for the ACHA’s Second Team All-Athletic. She scored 14 points in 12 games.
Marlisa was our strongest player on defense. Logging 40 to 50 minutes a game she played every shift with the utmost intensity and determination. A very solid defensive player and one of our leaders.
Amanda is the heart and soul of the Montclair State University Women’s Ice Hockey team. She was a team leader in shots blocked and a strong defensive player. The team always counted on her to get the puck out of the zone or to score a timely goal. Her stats do not do justice to the all-around excellence of her playmaking ability. A true competitor.
Dani never took a shift off the ice, minus her 14 penalty minutes of course. She had 23 points, scoring 14 goals and 9 assists, Danielle stands in 3rd in the conference in points. Danielle proudly wears an A on her jersey this year. Danielle won 2nd team all-athletic for the ACHA in 2019.
This is Kaylahs' freshman year at Towson. She is a complete, well rounded hockey player. A true asset to our team. She understands all aspects of the game. She is a quiet leader and a coaches dream. She works hard and gives 100% in both practices and games. I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes next season as she becomes more comfortable. She carries 3.46 GPA.
As a senior, Sarah’s leadership skills on and off the ice are impeccable. She may appear to be quiet when you first meet her but she always knows the right thing to say on and off the ice. She pushes herself and everyone every practice by being at the front of every line. As assistant captain she leads warm-ups before every game.The few games we have had to have a forward play back on defense Sarah is the go to person to pair them with. She will make sure the forward feels welcome on defense and nicely point out any thing that needs to be changed. Sarah’s defensive style is incredible. She’ll stay cautious on the ice and will always pass the puck, but when she hears the word “go” or “I’ll stay back” from a teammate covering her, she’s gone. She flows down the ice, deeked more people than I could imagine, and instead of shooting and doing it all herself, she looked for that pass. Sarah can hands down solo skate down the rink and get by all 5 opponents and score, however, she chooses to be a team player. Getting to play with Sarah for the past four years has truly been an honor. She is the defenseman I want behind me every faceoff. During the last game of the season she set herself up on the offensive faceoff perfectly reading my mind about the play I was about to call. I wish I could have the opportunity to play another game with Sarah.
She is an extremely composed and fair player and exudes confidence and a team mentality on defense. She puts the team on her back and really plays her heart out. Even though she plays defense, she is still a presence on all aspects of the ice, helping to assist girls with passes and calling out who is around when offensive players can't see what's behind them. Amanda has been a huge role model to new players on the team. One teammate described her style as “tastefully aggressive and will do a lot for a shot block.”
She was a brickwall that could always be relied on to stop anyone coming down the ice. We had to rotate through three defensewomen for the entire season and she never once complained and had a great attitude. Not only could we rely on her on defense, she also could play very offensive defense which greatly helped our team.
Although Brenna started out as a forward, thoughout the season she always stepped in on defense when her team needed her. She made some outstanding plays that helped us remain in close competitve games.
Abby has been a solid part of our defensive core, leading UVA defensemen this year with a total of 14 points (7 goals and 7 assists). As one of our teams three defensemen, she gets quite a few minutes, always ready to back up our goalie and get the puck out of our zone