Women's Ice Hockey

The 2009-2010 Saint Anselm women's ice hockey team returns to action this year following a 16-9-2 campaign in 2008-2009.  The Hawks finished third in the ECAC East with a league record of 13-5-1.  They finished third in the ECAC Women's Open Tournament at the end of the season, losing to Sacred Heart, 6-3 in the first round, and then defeating Saint Michael's, 5-0.

The Hawks are led by head coach Kerstin Matthews who returns for her second season with Saint Anselm.  Matthews spent the past summer working at several hockey camps, including the USA Under-17 camp and the New England Regional Development Camp held at Saint Anselm.  Matthews spent five years coaching at Boston University before coming to Saint Anselm at the beginning of last season.  Matthews has high hopes for the Hawks this season and in the upcoming years.

"The Hawks are a young team.  They are very much in a building place right now.  We had 10 freshmen last year, and we have nine rookies this season.  Nevertheless, though young, we were successful last year, and I think that bodes very well for the next few seasons."

The Hawks had a strong first year under coach Matthews, but there are a few goals to work on for the upcoming season.  According to Matthews, "We had a great group of players last season, but we struggled with consistency.  The ECAC East has improved to one of the top conferences in the country, so every game is going to be tough.  We have the talent, we just have to make sure to bring it and be on the top of our game everyday."

Matthews believes that this year's captains will be very influential in inspiring the necessary commitment and drive from their teammates. The Hawks will be led by head captains Maria Dougherty and Alexa Hingston and assistant captains Carley Berry and Kristen Byrne.  "I believe that this year's captains will provide great leadership for this young team, which will be very important out on the ice this season."

The Hawks will open up their 2009-10 season at home on November 6th by hosting the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights.  The Hawks face the Purple Knights three times last season, and defeated them all three times.  As previously mentioned, the Hawks closed last year's season with a 5-0 defeat of the Purple Knights in the ECAC Open Tournament on March 1, 2009, so they will be more than ready to take on the Purple Knights in Sullivan Arena at 7:00 pm.

The Hawks then hit the road to face Norwich and Castleton on November 13th and 14th.  According to Matthews, Norwich is a relatively new team, and they have built themselves into a strong presence in the league who will be important to beat.  The Hawks have two games this season against their biggest rival, Manhattanville, which will be played a week apart in mid-February.

The Hawks will be facing last year's national champion team Amherst for the first time ever on February 2nd.  They will also take on Plattsburgh State, who was in the Division III national championship two years ago, and Syracuse University, a Division I team who faces some of the top schools in the country.

"These tough games will add a lot to the strength of our schedule, which will help us to achieve our goal of getting to the next level.  We want to be one of those teams who comes back and dominates year after year, and facing these tough teams will certainly bring us closer to that aim."

Matthews is happy to welcome nine rookies to this year's team, led by freshmen Kathryn Picarello, Corinne Myers and Meghan Grant and junior Sarah Ellins.  Ellins, a native of Greeley, Colo., transferred to Saint Anselm this year after playing two seasons for the University of Vermont.  She played in 25 games for the Catamounts, and recorded two goals and an assist for three career points.  According to Matthews, "Ellins is a perfect example of a well-rounded athlete who will be a great role model for her teammates. She will be a great presence on the ice, because she is smart and quick.  She is a strong centerman, which the team lacked last season, who will add great depth and scoring potential to the Hawks."

Picarello, a resident of West Roxbury, Mass., was a three-time Most Valuable Player and a two-year captain for The Southfield School, who "will be a big-time scorer for the Hawks.  She is small and quick, and will be very strong close to the net."  Myers, who hails from San Jose, Calif., "has a lot of raw talent.  People will see a lot from her as long as she continues to develop and fine-tune her natural skills." Grant, a native of Melrose, Mass., will be one of the Hawks' three goaltenders this season.  Coach Matthews believes that "she will add great depth to the Hawks' already solid goaltending."

The Hawks are also pleased to return 15 players to this year's squad.  The returning class, primarily sophomores, includes three juniors and two seniors.  They are led by junior captain Alexa Hingston, and sophomores Molly Corl and Aly Zappen.  Hingston, a native of Charlestown, Mass., has appeared in 49 career games for the Hawks.  As a freshman, she was the Hawks' leading scorer among rookies with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points, and was selected to the ECAC All-Rookie Team.  "Hingston is a strong, silent leader who sees the game better than anyone.  She flies under the radar, but it is only a matter of time before everyone knows how valuable her defense can be."

Corl, who hails from Danvers, Mass., was selected to the ECAC All-Rookie Team last season. She appeared in all 27 games for the Hawks last year, and was fourth in the league among defenders in scoring with three goals and 13 assists.  "She is a total hockey player, who eats, sleeps, and breathes hockey.  She is very dedicated and her talent is continuing to develop well."  Aly Zappen, a resident of Huntington Beach, Calif., appeared in all 27 games as a freshman and was last year's rookie leading-scorer with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points.  "She is very consistent and comes up big day after day; she really brings it every time she hits the ice."

Forward
The Hawks have 15 forwards this season, eight returners and seven rookies.  In addition to Corl and Zappen, the Hawks welcome back senior Maria Dougherty, junior Kristen Byrne, and sophomores Liz Burg, Michelle Lacombe, Bridget Sylvester, and Marissa Serafino.  Dougherty, one of the team's captains, has appeared in 34 games for the Hawks.  The Middletown, R.I., native has scored seven goals and five assists for a career 12 points.  Byrne, an assistant captain, is a resident of Duxbury, Mass.  She has appeared in 45 games for the Hawks over the past two seasons, and has two goals and six assists for eight career points.

Burg, who hails from Minneapolis, Minn., appeared in 19 games last season for the Hawks and recorded six goals and three assists for nine points.  She scored three game-winning goals, and was named ECAC East Rookie of the Week on February 2, 2009 for her strong offensive performances against Nichols College and Holy Cross.  Lacombe, who is from Delafield, Wisc., appeared in all 27 games as a freshman.  She scored seven goals and four assists for 11 points and was selected as the ECAC East Rookie of the Week on November 24, 2008 after scoring a goal in each of the team's three games that week.

Sylvester, a native of Randolph, N.J., appeared in all 27games last season for the Hawks and recorded three goals and two assists for five points.  Prior to Saint Anselm, she received the Patsy K. Odden Award and the Makepeace Girls' Athletic Award at The Taft School.  Serafino, the final returning Hawk forward, is a resident of Rutland, Vt.  She appeared in 16 games last season for the Hawks, and recorded three assists.

In addition to Ellins, Myers, and Grant, the Hawks are pleased to welcome freshman forwards Rosemarie Giarrusso, Kaitlin O'Brien, Elisabeth Walston and Ciara Petry.  Giarrusso, who hails from sunny Royal Palm Beach, Fla., was team captain at the North American Hockey Academy, where she won the Unsung Hero, PHIT, and Coaches' Awards.  An AAU All-American, she attended the Under-16 Team USA National Camp and was a member of the USARS Under-18 Team USA.  O'Brien, a native of South Boston, Mass., was a 12-time letter winner at The Southfield School, and was the captain of both her soccer and ice hockey teams as a senior.

Walston, a native of Eagan, Minn., was a three-time All-Conference hockey player, and the captain of the Convent of the Visitation varsity hockey team her junior and senior years.  Petry, who hails from Poolesville, Md., ran track and field at Poolesville High School.  In addition to her passion for ice hockey, she enjoys surfing and is interested in sports medicine.

Defense
The Hawks have six defensemen this season, five returners and one rookie.  In addition to junior captain Alexa Hingston, the Hawks welcome back senior Daniella Lyons, and sophomores Sami Tatu, Angela Zevnik, and Jamie Lynn Comrie.  Lyons, a resident of Greene, Maine, has played in 79 career games for the Hawks, and has recorded 12 goals and 34 assists for 46 points over the course of the past three seasons.  She has appeared in every game but one since the beginning of her freshman year, and currently sits in sixth all-time for the Hawks in career assists, and 10th in career points.

Tatu, a resident of Waterford, Mich., appeared in all 27 games as a freshman last season, and recorded two goals and five assists for seven points.  Zevnik, a native of Greenfield, Wisc., appeared in 20 games for the Hawks last season.  She recorded her first career point on March 1, 2009, assisting the game-winning goal in the ECAC Open Tournament postseason game against Saint Michael's College.  Comrie, who hails from Ashburn, Virg., played in 12 games as a freshman, and recorded one goal and three assists for four points.

The Hawks' defense is happy to welcome freshman Tracy Hines to add depth to their backline.  The Duxbury, Mass. native was selected for the ice hockey All-Star team at Duxbury High School in 2007.  She then finished her high school career at The Pomfret School, where she played field hockey and softball.

Goaltender
The Hawks have two returning goaltenders, in addition to rookie Meghan Grant.  Junior Carley Berry, one of the Hawks' assistant captains, returns for her third season in goal for the Hawks.  She has a career 13-4-2 record with six shutouts in 22 appearances (20 starts).  She has logged 1208:21 minutes in the net and has a career .925 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.69.

Sophomore Amy Zappen, Aly's twin sister and fellow native of Huntington Beach, Calif., appeared in 10 games last season for the Hawks, notching nine starts and a 5-5 record with two shutouts.  She played 547:52 minutes in goal, en route to a .892 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.41.