An interest in women's ice hockey has grown nationally during the past few years and taken hold of University students in the form of the women's ice hockey club.
The club has been in existence since 1999 and has been competitive year-in and year-out, winning the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship two years ago. Virginia is the southernmost team in this conference which includes UPenn, Maryland, Delaware, American University, Villanova and Drexel. The conference is also home to several smaller schools, such as Indiana U. of Pennsylvania, West Chester and Slippery Rock University.
Last year, Virginia hosted the DVCHC Championship for the first time -- an honor granted to the previous year's champions -- and club President Eleanor Mullen was named the DVCHC's Most Valuable Player.
This year Virginia is in transition, falling to 0-6 this season after losing six seniors from last year's team, including last year's DVCHC Defensive Player of the Year, Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli. The team now has five freshmen attempting to fill their skates.
"We have five new people, many of whom have just started skating, much less playing ice hockey," Mullen said, "They've improved so much and will really help our team in the future."
The team practices Wednesdays at the Charlottesville Ice Park in the Downtown Mall, and practices are led by coaches Eric Sawyer and Dalton Ford. Outside of practice, the team is starting to do more off-ice speed and strength training and conditioning sessions with the men's club ice hockey team, which plays by similar rules. The only difference between men's and women's ice hockey is that there is no bodychecking in the women's game.
"We have a really good relationship with the guys' team," Mullen said. "We played a friendly game against them last night, and their players come and help us at our practices."
So far this year, the highlight for the team has been playing at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. After competing against Delaware in the afternoon, the team was invited to watch the NHL's Washington Capitals play a game that evening.
The team's long-term goals include working toward becoming a varsity sport.
"It would be great for us to one day be a varsity team," Mullen said. "But interest in hockey is still lagging behind in the South."
No experience playing ice hockey, or even ice skating, is necessary to join the club. Players have benefited from experience not only playing ice hockey, however, but also figure skating and field hockey.
"I've never ice skated before, but I love the game of hockey and know a lot about it," freshman goalie Rebecca Moreno said. "I was dedicated and willing to learn, and now I'm our starting goalie."
With 11 team members on the roster, the club is always looking for more recruits regardless of skill level.
"It's been really fun as a first-year," Moreno said. "I'm getting really involved and I really feel like a part of the team"
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