Many factors lead to success of women's hockey

Before each game, Norwich hockey player, Sarah Scardino takes her time as she wraps her hockey stick. She does it the same way every time, taping only half the stick so the blade does not touch the ground until game time.

"I'm the only one on the team that tapes only half my blade. Everyone else tapes the whole blade." the junior communications major said.

Scardino, 22, is not the only Norwich hockey player with odd habits, like wearing particular socks or shirts for the games.

Although superstition may not result in a successful season, something seems to be clicking for the Norwich women's hockey team.

With playoffs around the corner, Norwich women's hockey has been fixing its game plan to create another winning season this year.

"We're working a lot on defense and a lot on systems, like our forechecks. We do a left wing lock, a 1-2-2, and a trap," said Suzanne Whitaker, a 20 year-old sophomore communications major from Chelmsford, N.H.

A forecheck is when the team tries to regain control of the puck while in the opposing team's zone. This creates more scoring opportunities.

"If teams catch on to our forechecks and breaking it out of their zone pretty easily, then we can just change our forecheck up and make it more difficult for them and easier for us to keep it in their zone, and create good goal scoring opportunity," said Emily Goff, a 21 year-old junior communications major from Boston, Mass. 

Scardino, from Stoughton, Mass., said, "Our most popular one that we do is our offensive left wing lock, where the left wing stays up and plays as a third defensemen. We also do the neutral zone passive trap. We actually do a lot more one-on-one and two-on-one during practice too."

The team has been working on its forechecks as well as defense to make this season better. "We've been working a lot on our shooting drills, points on scoring. When you're in a game situation, one goal could make a difference," Whitaker said.

According to Whitaker, the new systems have made a difference this year. She said she hopes the team will "reach our peak so we will be ready for the playoffs."

"What we've always worked on are power plays and penalty kills. We have a pretty good penalty kill, but our power play still isn't where it should be, but we're working at it," Goff said. This year the power play team has gone 16/108 while the penalty kill has gone 88/100 overall.

According to Whitaker, "The goalies have been working really hard on their game. We're also working on screening the other team's goalies."

The team wants to prove it can do well in the playoffs. "We're preparing for the playoffs because last year we won the playoffs, but this year we want to do very well, because we don't want people to think it was a fluke that we won, but show everyone that we deserve to win. Also, to do fine in the playoffs so we can go into the NCAA, which is another goal of ours," Whitaker said.

Team chemistry has also helped the Lady Cadets do well this season. "I would say the strong points would be that everyone works pretty well together on the ice, during the game. We have a really good team chemistry, which makes us work together better,"

Whitaker said. "With some players, you know where they are, even if they aren't yelling. Yelling does help a lot on the ice though. We are working on communicating. It's getting better."

"The team is close this year in being more of a whole team, rather than having cliques within the team," Scardino said. "Everyone gets along, and it definitely helps out on the ice. There aren't any outsiders, or anything like that, we're a family."

The team has had great chemistry, but with every year it's a new chemistry. "I wouldn't say stronger or weaker, I say it's a different team, different chemistry. We're starting to get it, I want to say. Some games we have it, some we don't. It's late in the season and we're trying to figure it out." Goff said.

With six new additions to the team, the team wanted to make sure the newcomers fit right in. "We actually switched up the locker rooms to mix the freshmen in with the old players, and take them under our wing," Scardino said.

Whitaker said, "We have really good team chemistry. We all eat dinner together; we all hang out together in the dorms. It's fun to see each other after practices."

The chemistry makes an impact on the ice. "[The mood] is pretty intense, especially on the bench during the game. Everyone's cheering each other on. We want each other to do the best that we can," Scardino said.

The team is helping each other stay focused. "The team is more focused, but we still have fun. You have to have fun to play well. You can't be yelling at each other on the ice. Everyone is pretty supportive of each other on the ice."