Despite a rocky start to their Winter Break competition, the women's ice hockey team finished strong, defeating Wesleyan 3-0 in their last game in Dayton Arena, and tying with Hamilton 1-1 at the opening of the Sidney J. Watson Arena.
Overall, the Polar Bears went 2-4-1 over break, winning games against Sacred Heart and Wesleyan University.
"Winter Break is always a great time to bond as a team," Shana Natelson '10 said. "Though the results may not have been what we wanted, we did a lot of good things and have been getting better every game."
Kelly Keebler '10 also reflected on the improvement the team made over break.
"Although we didn't win as many games as we would have liked, I think that our team has gotten really comfortable with our systems and we did many great things and played as a unit," she said.
For the Polar Bears, the highlights of the break were defeating Wesleyan in the last game in Dayton Arena and getting to play their first game in the new Sidney J. Watson Arena.
"The high point of the break was definitely our win against Wesleyan because we were extremely happy and proud to end the Dayton Arena with a well-deserved win," Keebler said.
Similarly, even though the Bears walked away with a tie against Hamilton last Sunday, they remained positive about the special day, and excited about the rush of playing in the new facility.
"Our team strives for perfection, so tying Hamilton was a bit disappointing," Keebler said. "But we played really well, and games like that are the reason we play hockey."
"The fans at Sunday's game were amazing," Natelson added. "It's a great feeling to have that many parents, alums, community members and current students all cheering on your team."
This weekend, the team will host Amherst and Connecticut College. The Bears will play Amherst on Friday night at 7 p.m., and will take on Connecticut College Saturday at 4 p.m.
"After this weekend, our team definitely wants to continue playing with pride and giving everything we can," Keebler said.
Natelson also commented on the team's focus heading into this weekend's competition.
"We had a great weekend...so we're using that momentum to really prepare for this weekend's games. The last time we played Amherst and Conn, we were a very different team, and I think everyone's ready to step up and bury some pucks."