BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
Following three seasons that totaled simply seven victories between 2020 and 2023, the Celeste Brown-coached Rochester Institute of Expertise Ladies’s hockey crew had a 13-19-3 document for the 2023-24 hockey marketing campaign. Coming into this season, there may be quite a lot of hope for the Tigers to have a successful document and a few post-season success.
What does Coach Brown assume?
“Final season was constructive by way of progress,” answered Brown, a former RIT participant and a captain with the ladies’s Tigers crew. “We’re nonetheless on the lookout for one other degree of success.
“It was a rewarding season for our gamers. They purchased right into a course of that proved profitable.
“This season goes to be a enjoyable season. We’re nonetheless studying and evolving and bringing in some first 12 months gamers which might be going to be enjoying large roles on the crew.
“The massive query might be is ‘easy methods to we get them (freshmen) on top of things within the crew’s first eight video games, which might be in opposition to some powerful opponents.
“Our aim proper now’s to win the AHA on the finish of the season. Every observe and every recreation is a brick in direction of that aim.”
Wanting again finally season what does Brown assume the gamers discovered?
“We discovered easy methods to deal with enterprise with sure conditions,” responded Brown, a local of Nice Falls, Montana. “It’s about inviting that stress in to carry out and do it when it counts.
“We’re taking a look at enhancing our recreation much more on the ice this season.”
Brown identified that final 12 months was a breakthrough 12 months within the 4 seasons she has been teaching the Tigers. Issues appear to come back collectively after struggling by way of a studying course of with a comparatively younger crew.
“It was quite a lot of work,” defined Brown. “Rebuilds are a course of and that’s what we have been going by way of.
“We lastly received all the pieces underneath management. We discovered about what is anticipated from one another and from ourselves.
“I believe we knew what to anticipate in order the season went alongside nothing was a shock to us.”
How irritating was it for Brown, as a coach, to undergo these first three seasons which noticed the crew win simply seven video games?
“I believe it’s the identical for me because it was for the gamers,” commented the 32-year-old Brown. “There’s a burning want inside me to assist put this program the place it must be.
“We’ve stayed on our course We’re nonetheless making progress.
“There nonetheless could possibly be setbacks. However the crew has to remain targeted.”
So what about this 12 months?
“We’ve got 11 seniors on the crew,” mentioned Brown. “Plus we now have two graduate college students in order that makes 13, which is over half the crew.
“I’m not going to single out one participant. I believe that entire class is the important thing to this 12 months’s crew and its success.
“I’ll be seeking to them to push one another, to push different teammates and push our tradition.
“If that occurs we might be profitable.”
The 11 seniors embody: Baiey Kehl, protection; Jessie Burks, protection; Bronwyn Khangsar, protection; Athena Vasdani, ahead.
Jordyn Bear, ahead; Kyla Bear, protection; Annie Burks, ahead; Megan McCormick, ahead.
Kylie Aquaro, ahead; Addie Carr, protection; Sarah Coe, Goalie.
The 2 Graduate gamers are Nicole Ness, ahead and Mia Tsilemos, protection.
There are additionally two gamers who have been born in NYS together with: Addie Alvarex, sophomore, ahead, Rochester; Camryn Brownschidle, junior, protection, Clarence.
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