Women's hockey at both Salem State University and Endicott College will take a huge step forward this weekend with the Vikings and Gulls, respectively, playing their first games as Division 3 varsity programs after moving up from club status.

A few years ago when women's hockey started out at the two schools they had one combined team, but when the rosters grew they separated. Then the schools decided to jump into the NCAA ranks and Endicott coach Andy McPhee and Salem State's John Vlachos can't wait for the puck to drop.

The Gulls will play home games at the new state of the art rink, Raymond Bourque Arena which is located on campus while the Lady Vikings are at Rockett Arena. Both teams are excited to get going.

"It's been a long wait, a whole year seeing the rink being built," said McPhee, who came on board last season to coach the club team and handle recruiting duties. "Building a new rink shows the commitment the college has made to our program. It's great to play on campus so more students can come out to support us."

SSU and Endicott will play in the new Colonial Hockey Conference. The Gulls open Friday at the Puck Drop Classic in Harrisville, Rhode Island against Plymouth State and Nichols while SSU takes on Johnson & Wales in Providence on Sunday. The home opener at Rockett Arena is November 6 at 7 p.m. against Morrisville State.

Endicott has 25 games scheduled with contests against Southern Maine, Salve Regina, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Trinity among the challenges. The Lady Vikings will play Amherst which was ranked in the top 10 last season and No. 15 Connecticut College, both successful established programs. They also take on the University of New England, Plymouth State, Sacred Heart, Neumann University, and Buffalo State.

"This new league is exciting for women's Division 3 hockey in general," said McPhee, who was head coach at Trinity College for nine years and then worked as an assistant at Brown University. "There are 10 New England teams, two from New York, and one from Maryland. We'll go to Canton (NY) to play SUNY Canton, and next year travel to Maryland.

The CHC teams are Becker College, Daniel Webster, Endicott, Johnson & Wales, Morrisville State College, Salem State, Stevenson University and SUNY Canton.

"Women's hockey is growing so fast, and a lot of young girls look to role models like Meagan Duggan (Danvers). We had close to 40 at tryouts and have 25 or 26 on our roster. You can only dress 18 skaters and three goalies for games. We're ready to get our feet wet; anxious to get going, but at the same time it's a big overwhelming."

Lady Vikings transition from success

Salem State posted a 38-2-4 in club hockey, winning the Independent Women's Club Hockey League two years ago and finishing 16-1 last season.

"We lost our first game and our last," said coach Vlachos. "It's time to make the big jump. The players and coaches are very excited, and there's a buzz around campus. We worked hard the last few years to get to this level. There was no reason not to go to a varsity program now.

"When I first got here we had one team made up of Salem State and Endicott players. That start was what drove me to separate into two teams so we could move forward. We went from nine women to 19 and now have 25 on the roster. We have a good foundation from our club program, but at the same time club is not the same as varsity. We have over a hundred recruits on our list for next year which is very encouraging."

The captains are senior goalie Jenn Toussaint from Reading, senior forward Kelsey Russell and junior forward Kristin McKenzie from Arlington. Local player Courtney Smith from Peabody will be counted on at forward.

"They provide us with great leadership both on and off the ice," said Vlachos. "We have all new equipment, and they've been a big help with everything. All the players are working very hard to get ready for the challenge. In our league there are some new teams and some established programs. We travel to Buffalo in January (to face Buffalo State)."

The Lady Vikings also go to Maryland to take on Stevenson University, and have a home and away series with the Gulls at the end of the season.

||||

Trending Video

Recommended for you