Courtesy of Brian Beard

The women’s hockey season (2–0–0; 2–0–0 NESCAC) is off to a lively start, with the Polar Bears opening the season with 5–1 and 2–0 wins last Friday and Saturday against Wesleyan University.

Both the fast-paced power play on Friday evening and the well-crafted pinning of the Cardinals’ defense on Saturday were possible because of the vigorous work the team put in during the preseason, forward Meghan Britt ’28 explained.

“The ice went down really early this year, which was great. So we were on the ice three times a week, lifting three times a week, and doing conditioning and spinning. The whole preseason, we were always just pushing each other,” Britt said.

The team’s close-knit dynamics were also a key factor in securing this win, forward Luna Lu ’27 explained.

“I think it was a mix of everyone’s hard work, willingness, wanting to win and also all the work we’ve put in in the fall,” Lu said. “We’ve put a lot of work into the trust that we built as a group. I think this year especially, we’ve talked a lot about how that is leading into the resilience we have on the ice.”

Britt also emphasized the importance of maintaining a good flow and mindset throughout the game.

“We did a really good job of, if we didn’t have a good shift, just moving forward and putting it behind us. I think we talk about that a lot, like having a goldfish memory, forgetting about little mistakes [and] just focusing on the next shift,” Britt said.

Strategically, the team focused on staying disciplined and communicating well throughout the game.

“Defensively, we were trying to minimize them getting opportunities, so [we were] trying to make sure we had everyone pick up and make sure that we were covering our zones well,” Lu said. “I think it may seem like hockey is a very physical sport, which it is, but I think a big part of it is also your communication.”

One of the team’s key focuses this season is reducing the number of penalties it incurs. However, Britt scored a shorthanded goal on Friday, showing the Polar Bears’ ability to work through penalties.

“Penalties are something that we’ve been struggling with this season and something that we’ve also historically struggled with,” Lu said. “That shorthanded goal showed that not only can we defend the penalty should it come up but that we can capitalize on that. I just think it shows [Britt’s] determination and effort as a player.”

Last weekend’s wins set the team up to meet their aspirations for the season. This year’s overarching goal is to win a home playoff game, which is a step up from last year’s goal: getting a home playoff game. Having achieved that, the team is ready to take the next leap.

“One of the big goals this year [is] getting and winning a home NESCAC playoff game. Because last year, one of our goals was to get that home playoff game, which we did, and then we didn’t win. So I think this year we wanted to build on that,” Lu said.

This weekend, the Polar Bears will play Colby College (0–0–0; 0–0–0 NESCAC) following a scrimmage that they had during preseason.

“[The scrimmage] was a great opportunity to see what we’re made of [and] what they’re made of, but I definitely think that since that game, we’ve tightened up our defensive zone, we’ve tightened up our communication. I’m excited to see how it goes this weekend,” Lu said.

As the doubleheader will be split between the schools, the team is planning on taking advantage of playing in its home rink.

“I think just knowing who you’re playing, analyzing their play and then also applying their rink [conditions]. [Colby has] really cool athletic facilities, and their rink is really nice. But it’s just a lot smaller than ours, so sometimes it’s hard to apply some of what we’ve been trying to practice in our rink to theirs. So it’s a bit of an adjustment,” Britt said.