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Additional reporting by Olivia Pang
The University of Massachusetts is one of two schools in the Hockey East Association without a varsity women’s hockey team. But for 23 years, the women’s club hockey team has been playing at the highest level of club hockey.
UMass’ women’s club hockey has been a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in its first division since the 2002-03 season. In the 22 seasons since then, the team has made 17 ACHA tournament appearances, won four Eastern Women’s Collegiate Hockey League conference tournament championships and made one ACHA Championship appearance in 2014.
Since 2012, the head coach has been Bill Wright, and within two years of his appointment, he led the team to their only ACHA Championship appearance. Out of the 17 ACHA tournament appearances, Wright has been there for more than half of them.
One thing that makes Wright unique among UMass’ three club hockey coaches is his active recruitment of players.
“We’ve got a significant amount of walk-ons on the team,” Wright said. “But I try and get out there and watch as much high school [and] as much U19 play as I can. We’ve got a great school, so we get a lot of interest from all over the country and Canada for the program.”
Forward Julia Williams, a junior journalism and sport management major, says that she was recruited by Wright via a recruiting app going into her senior year of high school. Williams did not know about the ACHA or UMass, but after talking to Wright, she felt Amherst was the best fit.
“It was a big process, but this team has given me my best friends,” Williams said. “I live with four other girls on this team, and I don’t know what I would do without this group.”
Williams is not the only one who’s found a strong connection among her teammates. This team is not only an opportunity to play the game they love, but also a motivation for the girls, both on and off the ice.
“The girls are my best friends at UMass, and I love having a community of support that I can contribute to and be supported by,” Shelby Little, one of the team captains and management graduate student, said. “It gives me a reason to wake up in the morning; it gives me a reason to work out and be the best person that I can be, and I’m really grateful to be on this team.”
Many of the players regard the team as a built-in friend group and are very grateful to have each other. The support doesn’t end with the camaraderie on the ice but also extends to friends and family in the crowd.
“I invited some of my friends to come out, and they just had a blast,” senior captain Sarah Matthews, a civil engineering major, said. “They come back every single time. The parents are so supportive as well. They are here every single weekend, and it is great to see.”
Beyond the support they receive from each other and their families, the team receives support from UMass. The Minutewomen are sponsored by UMass Dining, which other UMass teams at the varsity or club level also receive. With that sponsor comes some extra perks, namely that they have the money they need for equipment, travel and other expenses.
“[UMass Dining has] been so supportive,” Matthews said. “They give us a ton of money, and honestly, they are awesome.”
The Minutewomen also have the UMass Dining player of the game, a title awarded to the most impactful player of the game. The title has been in place since 2023, the year UMass Dining first started its sponsorship.
Besides the sponsorship by UMass Dining, the Minutewomen receive support from UMass and have to pay player dues.
The dues are not the only requirement; players must maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher to play on the team, according to the club’s constitution.
“I would say [being a student athlete is] easy, because I’ve been doing it my whole life,” said Matthews. “I’ve been playing sports my whole life. It’s like second nature at this point. But you love it, so it’s not a chore at all. I love coming here.”
Williams stresses the importance of time management, especially with all the travel. She said that even though practices are either in the early morning or at night, balancing all the work, practices and games can be tough.
With all the time, effort and dedication the team puts in, it’s no wonder that many of the players support creating a varsity women’s ice hockey team at UMass.
“I think we absolutely need to make that team happen,” Little said. “It’s a great opportunity for women’s hockey players all around the country and even outside of the US. I think it would be difficult given the rules around the NCAA and Title IX, but I think it’s a push that the school needs to make in order to give girls the opportunity that we deserve.”
To comply with Title IX, UMass would be required to add and financially support another men’s sport if they were to create and fund a women’s non-cub level Division I team.
Until UMass establishes a varsity team, the UMass women’s club hockey team will continue its decades-long status as the school’s only women’s hockey team. A team rich with success, dedication, passion and camaraderie will continue to provide a source of joy and pride for both players and fans.
At the time of publication, UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford and Director of UMass Dining Garett DiStefano have not responded to requests to comment.
Dylan Podlinski can be reached at [email protected]
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