Photo credits: Jada McBride
The 2022–23 season concluded with a second place finish in the Delaware Valley College Hockey Conference (DVCHC) for WCU’s women’s ice hockey team.
The team plays in Division III (DIII) of the DVCHC. The DVCHC is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and WCU is considered a DII ACHA team.
The team had an overall record of 2–2 in the regular season. To finish their season, they defeated Montclair State University (MSU) 8–7 before moving on to the championship game against Slippery Rock University. They unfortunately fell in the championship 15–2.
They scored a total of 29 regular season goals in four games and 10 playoff goals in two games. Goaltender Miranda Goldman played five games and was in net for three wins and two losses.
This season the team had a chance to rebuild since they went down to DVCHC DIII.
“We were able to make it to DVCHC playoffs and make it to the championship, which we haven’t done since 2020,” Goldman said.
Freshman Marissa Kervinen led the team in points with five goals and recorded two assists for seven points in four regular season games. In two playoff games, Kervinen scored two goals and recorded three assists.
Captain Claudia Mongeau scored five goals and recorded one assist for six points in four regular season games. She scored four goals in two playoff games.
For the playoffs semifinal, MSU had improved since WCU defeated them 10–1 earlier in the year. Both teams were evenly matched.
“I think our new coaching was imperative to our win,” Goldman said. “[Nick Super] was able to keep us motivated when we are down and encourage us to work with our lines rather than see them as competition.”
Super is not confirmed to return next season, but his effect on the team was monumental.
The team will look to improve upon their performance going into the 2023–24 season. They will be losing players, such as defender Hanaa Belgrave, but are hoping the incoming freshman class will bring more players to the team.
“I’m looking forward to next season,” Goldman said. “I think we have a great group with some incoming freshmen with a lot of talent.”
The team’s success came despite some coaching troubles during the season.
“Our coach Frank Pearson didn’t really align with this team’s values of inclusiveness for all experience levels,” Goldman said. “We determined that for the future of the club we would be better off moving in a different direction with coaching.”
Ty Hickey is a second-year media and culture major with a Chinese minor.