UMD Athletics

?Senior team captain Zoe Hickel, a communication major from Anchorage, Alaska, and a Top 5 finalist for this year's Hockey Humanitarian Award, will be blogging everything Bulldog women's hockey throughout the second half of the 2014-15 season -- beyond.

April 9, 2015. Adjusting to the seven-hour time change following my return to UMD after competing at IIHF World Championships in Sweden, has resulted in some sleepy afternoons when the jet lag kicks in. But, I can't complain about the easy morning wake ups, though 5 a.m. is a little ambitious! Traveling as a team that many hours on a plane was a sure bonding experience for all of us.
The World Championships in Malmo, Sweden made for an amazing experience in so many ways. First of all, playing for our country and putting on a USA jersey is a feeling that is second to none. And, winning a gold medal made it even more gratifying! The returning Olympians had a contagious spirit that pushed us all leading up to Worlds and winning gold after last year's loss at the 2014 Olympics was a redemption that was so important to our team.
We were treated very well and Malmo, Sweden made for a fantastic host for the Women's Worlds tournament. Pink, White and Blue banners with pictures of local hockey heroes welcoming us to the city waved proudly all over town and in every big square. Our hotel was one of many Scandic's in the area, which I discovered when I gave directions to my mom, "It's the big Scandic in the square across from the H&M". At this point, I hadn't walked around enough to know that there was a Scandic and H&M around every corner!

Breakfast was a full feast every morning with every type of bread, yogurt, fresh fruit and an abundance of seeds and toppings, and to top it off we always had the option of Swedish pancakes and eggs! Although the cups and glasses were mini, the coffee and tea was in fine form and the variety of tea's were plentiful.
It was such a beautiful area to explore with shops, coffee houses and restaurants surrounding us. Expresso House -- a café across the street from our hotel -- was a popular
place to be for our team to do homework or grab a cup of coffee for pregame or whenever. Did I mention that the coffee in Europe is fantastic?! And if we felt like mixing it up there were probably six more coffee houses on the same street within a couple blocks! The pace in Sweden in general was very laid back. Eighty percent of the residents ride bikes to work and bicycles were everywhere. People pushed their babies around in luxury strollers nestled in giant down comforters. Even more interesting was the multitude of coffee houses did not even open until later in the day and people casually stopped in for leisurely afternoon "tea or coffee and danish" No one walked too fast and the trains and buses were also in high use by residents and guests. Even in the cooler temperatures all the outdoor restaurants, which were everywhere, were packed with patrons, lap blankets and overhead gas heaters blazing away while they leisurely took in their meal and the outdoors.
The experience in Malmo was so much more that just the hockey. We also took the quick train ride over to Copenhagen, Denmark, on our only full day away from the rink. The buildings were so beautiful and the history there was incredible. Everything is built tall and the narrow streets are mainly constructed of cobblestone and other brickwork. We managed to get a team picture with everyone in front of a historical fountain under bright sunny skies before an angry cloud raced in and dumped hail and rain on everyone scattering our group into sheltered corners. From there we took a few hours to explore different shops and grab a bite to eat in downtown Copenhagen. They are not lacking in fashion and shoe stores in that area! A grey suit was nowhere to be seen and fashion was on high display.
I also had the pleasure of having some family there which was really comforting -- especially since our team caught a little flu bug (of which I became victim of... thankfully for only a short time). My mom and sister had their birthdays on April 2^nd and 3^rd and what better place would there be to celebrate during that time with family I rarely get to see. Something you won't see in the states is the birthday cake adorned with a giant roaring roman candle that streamed 4 feet in the air making us fall back in our chairs and laugh while we covered our hair so it didn't catch on fire!

As for the hockey, it doesn't get much better than playing for the U.S. National team at the World Championships and that gold medal was the cherry on top. Playing at the top level is inspiring and motivating to be a part of such an elite group of young women who are chosen to represent our country. I am very grateful to be a part of USA Hockey and hope to continue to grow and learn as I face the next challenges as a post-grad player in the world of women's hockey, while still trying to train and compete at the highest level.

Meanwhile back here at UMD, I am playing catch-up at school enjoying the last of precious weeks with my teammates. We will be resuming conditioning sessions next week and it will be good to be back with most everyone for some some good old fashioned sweating and laughing.

I am equally excited to see Montana, our athletic trainer, who is recovering from emergency liver transplant surgery. She is an inspiration and a half and I can't wait to give her a big hug (though not too hard) when she comes back this week.

'til next time!

March 20, 2015.This "Dog with the Blog", while still finishing out my senior year, is making the best use of my big yard. It's true that finishing the UMD season early cut to the heart. But, with every bump and roadblock comes learning, vision, and new opportunity.

I embraced such an opportunity when the youth team I help coach, the Alaska All Stars U16 girls, called me and asked if I was willing to spend my spring break coaching at the USA Hockey Regional Championships. I jumped at the chance to refocus my attention in a positive direction and within an hour I was driving to Minneapolis to catch the last plane to San Jose. While in the airport, my wallet slipped out of my pocket and I found myself stuck in Texas. After a runway delay, I missed my connection to San Jose, with no I.D. or money. Not to panic because life is an adventure, right? I ran and trammed across the airport to the last California-bound plane (San Francisco). They let me on the plane and by midnight I was in sunny California looking for a ride from a very nice coach that drove north to pick me up. It all ended well with a good Samaritan turning in my wallet and I left California fully inspired after our U16 team had made an awesome journey to the shampionship game. We came up short, falling in the last few minutes and wound up with the silver medal. But buoyed by the heart and soul those young girls left on the ice; I was really proud to be a part of their progress and to coach these future stars (and possible Bulldog and National team members!).

After flying all night and with no time to spare, I made quick work of the Minneapolis-to-Duluth drive in time to pull the winning passport for "SHARK of the Week" (a youth health, fitness program I am directing) at one of the local schools. I met with a large number of students before dashing to the rink where I was once again reunited with my Bulldogs. We skated and laughed and reveled in the fun we have in our sport. There was so many twists and turns these last few months, but all that mattered to us was why we play hockey - because we love it!. It's exciting to know that many members of the UMD program will be skating for their own countries in the upcoming IIHF World Championships. Seven different nations (USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Germany) will be represented with players from UMD which seems like such an amazing feat for one school. The ribbing and competitive jabs we throw at each other at practice are universal, well meaning, and add fire to our practices.

This past Wednesday, after scrambling to get all my school work turned in, I was on a plane to Long Island, New York for the Team USA pre-camp (a quick stop before we head to Malmo, Sweden for tournament). While I am so sad to see my UMD career end as well as seeing my teammates on a regular basis, I am excited and ready to get to work with this group of amazing talented women making up this year's World's Team.

Today was our first full day in New York and we jumped right into the good stuff with on-and off-ice testing before our first practice as a team. However, we were in for a little surprise when our bus pulled up. It wasn't just our normal charter -- we walked into a full-sized party bus! It might have been as glamorous as it sounds if the heaters were actually working! Since we have teammates still playing in the NCAA Women's Frozen Four, we had only 10 skaters and 3 goalies today, but to make better use of our ice, Coach Klee invited some local Midgets and Jr. boys to fill in for our missing teammates. Both practices were filled with high tempo and speed, making for a good start to the week of training and preparing so the remaining parts of our squad will segue in nicely in the coming days.

After our final practice, we raced back to the hotel to catch the Frozen Four semifinal between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Needless to say there were a few upset Badger alums in the group.

Right now, we can't wait to get the rest of our team back and gain some steam before flying oversesas!

Feb 24, 2015. Senior weekend! What a way to end our regular season and kick off for the upcoming WCHA playoffs!

Friday we had our Faculty Favorite Night and also a chance to support and fundraise for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) by wearing the PSC Partners logo patch on our jerseys (See picture below). Julianne "Montana" Vasichek, who was a UMD player from 2001-2005 and is now our strength and conditioning coach/ equipment manager, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2002. Montana works so hard to keep us all in shape and in style on the ice, working both jobs. Her initiative and attention to detail is on point, so that individually we are performing our best as different athletes. She created the opportunity to recognize the importance of organ donation and increasing PSC awareness. The PSC was a success and donations have reached to $1,399 -- and are still coming in. The goal is to reach $2,500! You can donate at the link below to help Montana and those battling with PSC!
https://pscpartners.myetap.org/fundraiser/2015RoadToACure/individual.do?participationRef=625.0.83124261
Players invited their favorite faculty member to be recognized during our game. It was so fun to see how proud the professors were of us to be there, especially after a big win! With the 3-1 win against Ohio State, we were able to clinch home ice for our first round of WCHA playoffs for the 16th time in the last 16 years! On top of that we were all so proud of Freshman Jess Healey for notching the game winner as her first goal as a Bulldog!

There was much energy in the atmosphere at AMSOIL being back on home turf and representing our faculty and PSC on Friday night. But the weekend only got better!

Typically, at our last series at home we have a lot of families in attendance -- especially families of the seniors. Senior Day was Sunday afternoon and although we had already clinched home ice by winning Friday night, Sunday's game was important for national rankings since we are on the border at 8^th (PairWise ranking). Sunday was fun and we kept it interesting by coming from from a 2-0 late second- period deficit against Ohio State. Down 2-1, our team rallied in the third period, scoring four times and the five unanswered goals gave us a sweep of the weekend series.

















It was a great feeling to not only get the sweep but also get a big win on a special ceremonial day for the seniors. A tribute video was also made for coach Miller's efforts since this too would be her last senior night as the Head Coach of the UMD women's hockey program after 16 year.

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The seniors had so much to be appreciative of in the years that we've been playing for the Bulldogs. Coach Miller and her staff have not only helped us as grow as hockey players but also as strong, young women. They've done this by making us feel confident about our next step in life and having the right tools as a student-athlete to become successful in our future endeavors.

I was so thankful to have my parents and grandparents here to celebrate and I know there is so much heart felt thanks from the players and parents who aren't always able to be here, for the families who are here more often that make us feel like we have a home away from home. Senior Night is always an emotional one and it is crazy to think it was finally my turn, but we still have some business to take care of and we are so excited to see what we can do with this special group.

Our weekend gave us a great amount of confidence going into our first weekend of WCHA playoffs versus Bemidji State ! We are motivated this week and being smart about our ice and training to heal up and best prepare ourselves to take the weekend in the first two games!

Feb. 17, 2015. February is flying buy and our team looks at a new week to redeem ourselves from the last couple weekends. We are approaching our last home series as well as our last regular season games against Ohio State. This weekend's games will be the deciding factor whether we are able to host the first round of WCHA playoffs.

We learned some more valuable lessons over this last weekend in Minneapolis when we faced the Nation's #2 team. After a tough loss on Friday, we had some things we needed to work though before leaving it behind us and moving on to the game we were fortunate enough to have the next day.

All the players met, without the coaches, to go over the game and we went over every goal scored, giving us a chance to breakdown the game, own up to our mistakes, and make a plan. This was a unique approach, rather than the typical video session breakdowns we do with the coaches

We all found it to be a very insightful learning experience and after summing things up as a whole and with the rest of our staff, we were able to get some sleep and come out the next day with some fire.

Saturday night's game was night and day compared to Friday's series opener. Although we came up just short with just giving up one goal in the third and one open netter in the final minutes of play, we were able to leave proud of the way we finished. Needless to say we can play strong defensively and prevent pucks from going in our end, but we still have to bury some pucks to win a hockey game! :)

As part of our last home series, we will be recognizing the seniors. These players include, Brienna Gillanders, Emma Stauber, Jenna McParland, Tea Villila, Brigette Lacquette, Meghan Huertas, and myself. Our senior class is full of passion, grit and great leadership. It looks like we'll be having a tremendous amount of support going into our last weekend at home with families traveling from all over the world to come for senior weekend. I feel so lucky to have family making the trip from Alaska but that seems hardly comparable when Tea Villila will have her mom and sister here for the very first time to watch her play -- all the way from Finland!

I couldn't be more excited being home for our last series and to have the backing of family and friends to cheer us on as we make our final push before our run at playoffs!

Feb. 7, 2015. It's game day in Madison, and it sure is a great day to play some hockey! After a battling to a 0-0 tie after regualtion and OT, we fell just short to the Badgers after four rounds in a shootout. Katerina Mrazova, one of our centers from Czech Republic, showed her silky hands on her shootout goal, making a backhand toe-drag move that left the Badger goalie off her feet. Unfortunately, that was the only goal capitalized on our side of the contest.

On a positive note, we're happy to take what counts as a tie nationally to the number 3 ranked team in the country, and with that scoreless game, Kayla Black recorded her 18th shutout which now stands as a UMD career record.

With a full day to rest and recover from last night, we are eager to get back on the ice and take advantage of a second chance opportunity we are fotunate enough to get redemption on.

Naptime!

Feb. 2, 2015. Monday already! Wow, what a quick week with a battle of a weekend to end it. We knew going into our series versus North Dakota it was going to be filled with battles and fast, two-way hockey; unfortunately a loss and a tie wasn't the outcome we were looking for nor an accurate measure of play.

Friday night's game was an example of how "hockey, a game of mistakes" can simply come down to one -- and for UND, that was all they needed to take credit for three league points. Shots were even on both teams with 30 each and we ended the game in a flurry with chance after chance before the buzzer cut us short. It felt like "puck luck" was not in our corner for this game, though there were many areas where we simply needed to be and do better.

When you lose a game 1-0, it's hard not to replay everything you could've done differently in order to bury the puck. A rolling brain tape of twangs off the post and lost chances to shovel in a puck on an empty net, made getting to sleep after a late game hard to do.

But in sports the reset button must be pushed and our focus for Saturday's game was to play a full 60 minutes.. It sounds cliché but that was the difference in the night before. We played well in the first and third periods but gave up the second period. There was a stronger focused energy approaching Saturday night and was again a time where we needed to meet their resistance with more resistance. Lines and D partners focused on their specific goals and strengths and again we faced a hard fought battle and came back to tie it up 2-2 in the third. A scoreless five minute overtime left us with an official game tie but UND stole the extra point in the shootout.

Our road ahead doesn't get any easier facing the first (Minnesota) and second place teams (Wisconsi) in our league who are also the 2^nd/3^rd ranked teams in the country. The way I look at it is we have amazing opportunities in our near future; we are in a position to take on teams who are ranked ahead of us in our league and nationally! The WCHA is a tight, competitive league and full of surprises and these final few weeks look to be a whirlwind of intense competition and opportunity!

On a side note, watching the Super Bowl with teammates from Europe was one of the best Super Bowl experiences I have ever encountered. A couple of our team members from Switzerland and Sweden, Lara Stalder and Michelle Lowenhielm, were glued to the TV for the entire game. Although there were a lot of questions I do have to give them credit for picking up such an American tradition with so much enthusiasm!

Jan. 25, 2015: It's crazy to think that this is my last semester as a Bulldog and the end of my four-year UMD career is nearing. This year is a special one for many reasons and has been one I am proud of.

We put ourselves in a great position heading into the second half of 2014-15, by winning 12 of our last 13 contestsbeing rated 6th in the PairWise rankings. Our first game back came 34 days after our last one. We had a bit of bump at first against Bemidji State, but have responded with five straight wins since then and remain 6th in the PairWise while going 17-2 in our last 19 games.

After the first week of school and getting back to a consistent student-athlete routine, our team is feeling the rhythm we were carrying prior to the Holiday break. Getting back on the road (to Mankato, Minn.) last weekend was a good chance to strengthen our togetherness as a team. Our team usually switches up roommates every weekend, which has given individuals a chance to become closer to teammates they wouldn't normally spend that kind of one-on-one time with. During bus rides, our team likes to either get a head start on schoolwork, listen to music, or occasionally watch movies. And, there is always the scouting report to review as well.

We were welcomed to our first away game of 2015 last Friday with gold jerseys as a motivational surprise! This was clearly a great boost to our team as we went on to win in our highest scoring outburst of the season, 12-0 over Minnesota State-Mankato. There were 14 players who recorded points Friday and six players who tallied two or more points. We finished off the weekend with a 4-0 victory on Saturday afternoon and the weekend sweep led to a bus full of smiles for the trip back to Duluth.

Our biggest rivals and battles are what now lie ahead for us in the next few weeks approaching the WCHA and NCAA playoffs. Although we are solidly in third place in the WCHA and just four points behind second-place Wisconsin, this weekend's two battles with North Dakota (which trails us by 10 points) at AMSOIL Arena will be will be a series that should really test our willingness to compete.