Image Credit: Maya Polss
At 6 a.m. on a weekday, most students at West Chester University (WCU) are asleep. For the players on the WCU Women’s Ice Hockey team, their day is already getting started. From getting up early and balancing classes with time management to traveling really far for games. Hockey is very expensive compared to other sports, and it is a huge commitment for these players. However, the girls have such a passion for the sport they grew up playing to where their bond as a team is even closer and more meaningful; it is more than just a team that competes on the ice.
Junior forward, from Philadelphia Rylee Fiorentino (#23), reflects how they are as a team, how everyone brings such light and different personalities to the table and just how well they bond and get along with each other. This not only helps them off the ice but on the ice as a team together, collaborating and being supportive of each other.
“I would say we are all very sarcastic in our own ways, but we work really well together,” says Fiorentino. “Everyone brings a different personality to the team, which makes it fun, but when it is time to play, we know how to come together and focus.”
Ice hockey at WCU is a whole different avenue and sport in terms of division, payments and competitiveness. Since the hockey team is a club team, it is not directly funded through West Chester University, which means all of the players have to fund their own equipment, travel costs and so much more. This is something that the team struggles with as a club sport, in hopes for everyone to just be aware of it instead of just not knowing or forgetting about it.
“One of the biggest challenges is funding because we do not receive the same amount of financial support that a varsity team would,” says Fiorentino. “Hockey is already an expensive sport, but we still practice, travel, play games and have to balance everything with school and our personal lives and I think everyone understands the commitment that comes with being on the team, which helps us get through it together.”
With new players joining the team yearly and rosters being changed periodically, the group has not let that affect them in any way, they just have to adapt and learn how to adjust with each other’s playing skills and personalities, alongside one another. With that, communication has one of the biggest changes.
“We are talking to each other more on the ice, supporting each other and starting to understand how everyone plays,” Fiorentino says.
By understanding everyone’s playing styles in the game, communicating and being patient, it helped the group get stronger this new season. With the season just getting started and as the season continues, players are becoming more comfortable communicating during games and trusting the people around them.
Despite the new members joining and new girls arising to the team, the group has all gotten close and comfortable with each other pretty quick, something that they put forward as a team.
“We have a lot of new girls this year, and they have already opened up so much that it feels like some of them have been here for years,” Fiorentino mentioned.
These moments can be seen as small but with a huge impact on the group. Whether it is grabbing Dunkin’ Donuts after practice or running into a teammate on campus, the players have formed relationships that make the team feel like more than just a team that meets for games and practices. It is what happens outside the rink that counts and what really matters.
“We genuinely enjoy being around each other, whether we are at the rink or not,” Fiorentino says with excitement.
Many students may not even know that WCU has a women’s ice hockey team. When hockey comes to mind, the men’s team may be the first program people think about. But the women’s team is putting in the same kind of dedication to the sport they love.
The players hope that bringing more attention to the team can also show other women that they have a place in sports that have traditionally been seen as male-dominated.
“You can be a girl and want to play a sport that people traditionally see as more ‘boyish,’” Fiorentino said. “If you have the desire to play and you are willing to put in the work, there is a place for you.”
That sense of belonging and just having a positive environment could come into play as the team works toward its biggest goal of the season: Winning an ACC Championship.
Caroline Rudderow is a third-year Media and Culture student with a Digital Marketing minor. cr1040239@wcupa.edu.