The Plymouth State University Women’s Ice Hockey team is set to begin their new varsity season this year as they travel to Saint Michael’s College on Saturday evening for their first game of the season.
The Panthers will return with a solid team, including 11 veterans and a new coach, Heather Hoffay. Hoffay is a Hamilton College graduate and former assistant coach at both Trinity and Wesleyan.
Plymouth’s schedule includes a number of teams from the ECAC East Conference and current clubs.
Hoffay is excited about the experience to coach this new team and take it as far as it can go. “All programs I’ve been involved with at Hamilton were new,” said Hoffay.
When asked how the development process is going with the new team, Hoffay responded, “Right now, we are in the process of setting team goals. The girls want to develop themselves and get better, not just winning.”
The team went 9-7 last season and co-captains Sam Turner and Kelly Williams, who was the team’s leader scorer last season, will both be returning to fill their posts.
In their last two seasons, the team has gone 12-15 overall. Plymouth State University announced the Women’s Ice Hockey team as a new varsity sport last February, hired Hoffay in May and was accepted into the ECAC Women’s East Ice Hockey League last month.
“If we can say we are a better team at the end of the season than we are now, that will be an accomplishment,” says Hoffay.
The Panthers’ first home game will be on November 29 against North Country Community College.