 "Photo: Karl Henkel / The South End")
When three doors closed, seven more opened.
Wayne State’s women’s ice hockey team lost three vital goal scorers at the end of last season, optimism circles the rink with the addition of seven new freshmen for the 2009-10 season.
“I’m very excited with what I’ve seen,” coach Jim Fetter said after a preseason practice. “All of our freshman have been contributing; they’ve been scoring a lot of goals.”
Last season, Melissa Boal, Lindsay DiPietro and Sam Poyton, combined to be the best line in Wayne State history. With a combined total of 600 points over the last four years, their skates will definitely be tough to fill.
Veteran senior Chelsea Burnett enters the 2009-10 season as Wayne States all time leader in points (53) among defensemen. She looks forward to the change of players and systems.
“We’re going to have to learn to talk a lot on the ice and learn where each new player is going to be, because we’re used to a system that we no longer have,” she said. “So, with the new players coming in it’s going to be a totally different look on the ice.”
Experience can be the key to many aspects of hockey, and Burnett has plenty to share.
“I like having to be like the teacher out there, basically, being the oldest on the blue line and showing what I’ve learned growing up the past three years to the freshman now coming in,” Burnett said. “It’s a totally different game when you come from playing juniors to university.”
Freshman Gina Buquet knows a thing or two about leadership. Buquet served as team captain when she played for the Ohio Flames last season. She doesn’t think there will be much of an adjustment period to her new teammates.
“I mean it’s been pretty good; everybody’s like real tight friends,” Buquet said. “We’ve just been all working hard because I guess we’re all figuring it out together, what it’s like to play division one college hockey.”
Jenaya Townsend is another freshman adjusting to the changes of college hockey. “I think it’s going to be different for all of us, making the transition from being the best on our team to maybe not being one of the best players out there, ” Townsend said.
Townsend comes to Wayne State after leading the defenseman of the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League in scoring (tied for 12th overall) during the 2008-09 season.
Buquet and Townsend are just two of the many potentially great freshman Fetter sees on his team.
“They’re bringing some youth, some work ethic and with that creates a lot of excitement not only within the players, but within the staff,” Fetter said.
Still, the question remains, can this new team measure up to the success of last year?
“We have three lines that I think are going to be capable of scoring, which I think is even more of a threat, especially if they can get on some type of a roll,” Fetter said. “I think it could be a lot of fun this year.”
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