Brigid O'Gorman '11 battles for the puck against Bowdoin. Photo by Duncan Spaulding.
While Connecticut College has been educating women for a century, it may surprise you to know that the Camel women’s ice hockey program is only fourteen years old. However, despite its short history, the team is making some serious noise in the NESCAC. Current Head Coach Kristin Steele took over the team in the ’01-’02 campaign and she and the Camels haven’t looked back since.
Steele has helped lead the Camels to six NESCAC quarterfinal appearances in ten years. She has also notched a quarterfinal victory with a hard fought 2-1 win over Trinity in the ’08-’09 NESCAC tournament.
“I’ve known Coach (Steele) for eight years now. This has been her best year,” said captain Brigid O’Gorman ’11. “She has really grown with the team and realized what we need from her as a coach”.
This truly has been Steele’s best year as the team has earned a winning record for the first time ever. The team has finished the season at 12-11-2, 8-8-1 in the NESCAC. Wins against teams like Williams, Hamilton, Bowdoin and Colby have jumpstarted a winning attitude amongst the players.
“My freshmen year we went to Bowdoin and beat them for the first time ever,” said O’Gorman. “From that game on the atmosphere of the program changed. We knew we could compete against the best and we have been building more confidence every year.”
A winning attitude has been vital to the success of the Camels this season. The players have come together as a team to add to the win column. “Working as a team has been our key to success—we are at our best when everyone is on the same page,” O’Gorman noted. “We have gained momentum throughout the season and carried it especially down the stretch with a huge win at Hamilton.”
However team play isn’t the only thing that has taken the program to a new level. First year player Courtney Dumont ’14 set the Camels single season scoring record this season with eighteen goals. She added ten assists, bringing her to an impressive 18-10-28 line.
“Courtney is what we’ve been needing,” said O’Gorman. “The program has lacked a true scorer. She goes hard from the start and gets the first or second goal. She sets the team on fire.”
The Camels took their winning momentum to Brunswick, Maine for a NESCAC quarterfinal showdown versus Bowdoin this past Saturday. The teams split the season series. The team suffered a 4-3 loss on December 4th in Maine but bounced back for a 4-3 victory at Dayton Arena on January 16.
“If we beat Bowdoin it will be huge momentum for us,” O’Gorman said before the quarterfinal game. “We will end up playing Middlebury at their place. We play our best hockey at Midd’s rink. I know we will be able to take them there. They never expect what we give them. If we beat them we are going to win the NESCAC championship. It’s just the attitude.”
Unfortunately the Camels came up just short of another tournament victory. Although Conn got on the board first when Kourtney Martin ’11 scored an early goal, the quick start was not enough to ward off Bowdoin, as the Polar Bears fought back for a 2-1 victory.
The Camels may not be bringing home a NESCAC championship this year, but the young program is building a winning attitude that will take the team to new heights in the years to come. •
