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D2 New Player of the Year

#7 -- Kelli Hambleton, ROWAN

Kelli Hambleton has been figure skating since she was a little girl. This year, she hung up the figure skates and laced up the hockey skates, so it's no surprise that skating wasn't her biggest struggle. Having never picked up a hockey stick before, the beginning of the season was a little rough. But after the first few practices she started seeing some improvements in her passing and shooting. Even now that the season has ended, Kelli has joined a spring league at our local rink to keep working on her puck skills. It's never easy to be the new girl, and Kelli is a quiet person on the ice, but she's always wearing a huge smile because she loves the game.


#21 -- Darian Holley, IUP

Darian came to us as a first time hockey player this year, after having played rugby previously.  When she first started she could barely skate and had to literally learn every facet of the game on the fly. She learned and progressed at an alarming rate becoming a totally unrecognizable player and true asset to the team by the end of the season.

She filled multiple roles on the team for us during both full strength and special team situations.  I am genuinely excited to see what she can achieve in the future, but she has gotten off to a great start and was incredibly impressive.  She scored a beautiful one-timer early in the season and was a huge help in winning that game and others.

#5 -- Sarah Phinney, NAVY

Sarah has made great strides since she made the transition from field hockey to ice hockey.  She had no trouble translating her stick skill from the grass to the ice.  Since the beginning of the season her skating has improved markedly.  In the years to come she is sure to be a force to be reckoned with.  Sarah has proved to be a leader among the newer players.  At practice and games she is never demurred by a trip or missed shot and she encourages everyone to continue to work hard.  There is no doubt that her skills will continue to improve and she will become a driving force on the team over the next two years.


#38 -- Sarah Weinman, RUTGERS

Sarah had never touched the ice before this year, and could barely put on her hockey gear without help. Hockey is definitely one of the more difficult sports to begin to play, but that didn't stop her from wanting to learn. She dedicated every bit of her time on the ice to improving herself, and even went to free skate times in order to get better at skating. She's definitely the most improved player of the season, and even learned to skate backwards by the end of the season!  Although she may fall (who hasn't?) she always gets back up and tries again.

Sarah's made some killer plays in quite a few games by blocking and getting in other players' faces. When she's not playing hockey, she lets us take full advantage of her background in culinary school, whether it's for baking cupcakes for fundraisers or hosting team dinners at her place. We are thrilled that she decided to join our team, and we're sure she'll continue to develop as a player for the years to come.


#8 -- Kaja Wold, AU

Kaja wasn't just new to our team, she was new to the U.S.  A graduate student from Norway, Kaja had a background in bandy but had never tried ice hockey (quite different).  Like most rookies she arrived, wide-eyed and full of questions.  UNLIKE many rookies, Kaja was learning the game on a team that lost all of its players. Not only asked to learn, she was tasked with being an essential team member, and fast.  Kaja rose to the occasion, taking difficult shifts - like the game we threw her in as center, through she had never done it.  Or the games we played without subs.  She improved at lightning speed and is one of the most coachable rookies we've ever had.  We couldn't have had a season and certainly wouldn't have had as fun a group without Kaja as a teammate.  She scored her 1st goal and was featured in our school paper, The Eagle.  She earned both of those achievements.  We're fortunate to have earned her as a teammate.


#14 -- Mikayla Woodley, UVA