Features

Women Hockey Players Toughen Up with a National Championship at Stake

By Alyx Rivard

The hockey rink was flooded with collegiate student athletes from all over the country as the 2013 ACHA Women’s National Championships were underway in Ashburn, Va. on March 7.

            Long braids are hanging out of helmets down the back of spotless jerseys as the crowd begins to roar as the competing teams jump onto the ice. Small chunks of white dust spray up from the freshly sharpened skate blades as the first strides are taken on the gleaming ice. Each team is huddled at separate ends, arms overlapping one another’s shoulders, heads together, sticks raised up in a teepee formation, as school chants echo throughout the Ashburn Ice Arena. A whistle is blown as the teams line up center ice for the first face off. The puck, in the hands of the ref, hangs above the heads of the two players anxiously waiting for the second it hits the ice. The entire arena of over 100 spectators falls silent in suspense. The National Tournament has officially begun.

Women’s sports sometimes receive criticism and negativity from spectators who enjoy mocking the level of “intensity” when compared to men’s sports. However, the fast-paced play witnessed at the four-day tournament might sway the opinion of even the toughest critic.

            The 13^th annual National Championships comprised of 16 women’s hockey teams, from both Division I and Division II, brought excitement to the small town of rural Ashburn. In total, the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a league made of 39 different colleges and universities across the United States, but only the best get the opportunity to attend the National Tournament. The tournament consists of the top eight teams from each division based on the season rankings and outcomes of prior regional playoffs.

“I am especially excited for this season’s Nationals because I think it will be the most competitive run yet. All of the teams are so close in talent that it’s going to boil down to which team works the hardest and wants it the most,” said Chris Wilk, the National Tournament Director, in a personal interview.

            In the past, Nationals have been located everywhere from Georgia to Ohio to New York, but 2013 brought them to the town of Ashburn only about an hour outside of Washington D.C. This year’s nationals took place during a warm front, under the sun and sudden rising temperatures of 65 degrees. The chilled hockey rink was nicely contrasted with the outside warmth signaling the start of spring in Virginia.

Banners of teams, promoters and advertisements hung from the ceiling and covered the walls of the arena. It was composed of two ice rinks complete with a sports shop, restaurant, arcade and bar providing entertainment for audiences of all ages. Players were ecstatic to start playing and coaches were stressed over unpredictable outcomes. The tension and anxiety lingered in the air.

“This is my first year ever coaching women’s hockey and the most significant thing I’ve learned this season is how much each individual girl’s focus effects the team. Women’s hockey, especially the top eight here, are talent-wise very equal, so I think a team’s success in the tournament is going to generate from their mental readiness,” said Bill Wright, the head coach of the UMass Minutewomen.

            Competing in the Division I bracket, in order from first to eighth by final season rankings before National playoffs, were Liberty University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Minnesota, Robert Morris University, Northeastern University, the University of Rhode Island, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. However, after the top eight teams of the conference qualified once they reached nationals the season rankings became irrelevant. The teams had to set aside expectations, egos and predictions, for a national championship was at stake. It became anyone’s game.

            “Our team won last year’s Nationals in 2012, and we were fourth place coming into the tournament after the final season rankings. We were the underdog so that just proved to our team and the other competing teams anything can happen,” said McKenzie Powers, Captain of the Northeastern Huskies. 

The winners of the first series of games on Thursday March 7 and Friday March 8 determined which four teams made it to the semi-finals on Saturday. After points were calculated based on each team’s wins and losses, half of the starting teams were eliminated with only Robert Morris, Liberty, Minnesota and Massachusetts remaining.

On Saturday March 9, the four teams competed in which the two winning teams would then play the following day for the National Championship. The importance of the semi-final game was evident as a jittery Kasey Zegel, goalie for the UMass Minutewomen, spoke before her 1:15 game against the University of Minnesota.

“We played Minnesota earlier in the season and won by two goals but it was a very close game. They are a good team and our team is going to have to come out focused and mentally prepared if we want to win this game, but I think we can do it. I’ve just got to be ready to stop all these pucks!” said Zegel.

            

         Zegel proved to be correct, as it wasn’t an easy game by any means for the Minutewomen. Minnesota ended up defeating UMass at the end of a long, hard fought game and would play Liberty University the following day at 3:15 for the Championship title, trophy and prestigious bragging rights. The Minutewomen would also play on Sunday against Robert Morris in a consolation game for third place.

            On March 10, the University of Minnesota returned home with a championship trophy. A disappointed Liberty left with the silver, Robert Morris claimed the bronze and UMass finished fourth. Regardless of the outcomes, all teams demonstrated perseverance and dedication as they fought through five games all for the school they represented on the front of their jersey.

            “The lessons and character building traits competitive hockey teaches these women is immeasurable and shouldn’t go unrecognized,” said Wilk as he further elaborated in an interview on the personal growth players achieve when they choose to play hockey at the collegiate level.

“This tournament is about a lot more then just ice hockey. It gives women the opportunity to participate in something they love, teaches them to overcome obstacles as a team, awards them with the feeling of success and demonstrates the strength that can arise from failure,” said Wilk.

Some teams left Ashburn with a sense of pride and accomplishment, others returned home with the feeling of defeat. However, regardless of this year’s results   each team walked away with hope and the opportunity to improve. They will all return to compete next year in the 2014 ACHA National Championships because like Captain Powers stated earlier, “anything can happen.”

UMass Amherst Theatre Guild

by Shannon Sullivan

With no adult supervision, one might think that putting on a musical comedy theatre show would be absolute chaos, but the UMass Amherst Theatre Guild proved that a club run by students can be successful.  

The cast practices anywhere they can get a room, even a small classroom in Bartlett Hall can become an enormous Broadway stage to these actors.  They push the desks aside and place an electric piano on a table at the front of the room, and have created an imaginary stage on which to practice.  Students do their homework scattered around the room with their bags and shoes and clothes when they are not performing.  Some eat dinner, and others are Snapchatting their friends by taking pictures of themselves with captions and sending them to each other.  Amidst the organized chaos, a show is being brought to life.  It is an entirely student run production with an 18-year-old director.  As the opening day of March 29 approaches, the cast works more and more diligently to put on a show that is unique and their own “baby.”

The 19 cast members have been meeting since the end of January to rehearse for the musical comedy, “Curtains.”  The show is a mixture of song, dance, comedy, and mystery.  It id a “show within a show,” taking place in the backstage of a show in the 1950s.  The main actress is murdered on the set, and all of the cast and crew members are forced to stay on the set until the police detective, Lt. Frank Cioffi (played by Marc Isaac Boyd) can solve the murder mystery.  The detective has a not so secret love for musical theatre and for the understudy of the main actress, Nikki (played by Chelsea Thioutot).  Romance blooms and withers on the set as cast and crew members are killed off and re-united.  It is a heartwarming play that both shocks and makes you laugh.

The cast is a loud, lively group that likes to have fun but knows when it is time to be disciplined and get down to business.  The UMass Theatre Guild is run completely by students.  Kelley DeCourcy, a senior, is the Chairperson of the Guild.  As a 21 year old sociology major, she has been on the Guild since her sophomore year.  DeCourcy is a tall, brunette, thin, polished looking woman.  The other Guild members look up to her for advice.   As the chairperson she coordinates bi-weekly meetings,works with the university resource room to book other spaces on campus, and coordinates places for the shows like Amherst High School.  

DeCourcy says, “Being a student run organization is unique because most people do not know what it takes to produce a show, people just show up for tech week and that’s about it, it is a lot more than that and its great that since we are student run, people actually get to understand and appreciate all that goes into creating a show.”  Tech week is the week before the show starts, and people get together to run through the play and all of the technicalities.  This is usually the first time that everyone is together all at once.  The Guild is different because they are all together all the time, planning everything and working together to create the vision in their minds.  

This is DeCourcy’s second semester as chairperson of the Guild.  She has never performed with the UMass Theatre Guild, instead she likes to be on the administrative side because that is where she thinks she shines.  She has background experience with theatre, as she worked both as stage crew, and an actor in high school.  She described the cast of “Curtains” as being “a very new cast of mostly rookies who have not really participated in the Guild before this semester.  It is interesting to see them evolve as they grow through the practices for the show, and it is a pleasure to watch them learn every step of the way.”   As a senior, she loves to see how the casts change and evolve, and says that the cast of “Curtains” is both “fun to be around, and easy to work with, they have an equal balance of hard work and laughter.”  

The director of “Curtains” is newcomer Jake Dodson.  As an 18-year-old freshman theatre major, he has a lot of expectations to live up to.  Dodson’s young age has been an obstacle for him, when it comes to being in charge.  He said “You have to be able to have a good balance of authority, its about how you conduct yourself that really matters.  I am younger than most of the people I work with, but I know how to be a leader.”  

Dodson was basically the leader of his high school theatre group in Denver, Co.  He describes himself as being “theatre through and through” and calls the show his “baby.”  A fiery red-head with a loud voice and personality, Dodson oozes authority when he speaks.  He spent his entire winter break reading, analyzing, prepping, and studying the play and its characters.  He wants the show to be perfect so that he can make a name for himself as a director.  When asked about the show he described it as being “a lot of work-countless hours with the cast and then more on my own,  but its not grueling work, its really quite fun.”  He thinks that the cast and crew are “insanely on top of things, right where they need to be.”  

One might think that a cast being run by a freshman would be insane and confusing, but Dodson is very on top of things, his classmates say he is authoritative and patient, a playful guy but able to be stern when he needs to be.  When asked about Dodson, DeCourcy explained “Having a newcomer who is younger be the director is quite different, he is taking his directing in a new direction than directors have in the past, he really challenges the actors in this show.  Our motto at the Guild is that we are a learning organization, so he really is taking this to heart and learning his role as director well.”  

Dodson interacts with the cast, starting off each practice with a vocal warm up, followed by stretching for their dance numbers, articulation practice, and energy games to get them into the zone.  He also has them play games where they call each other by their character names and act like their characters to get them ready to act.  The last thing they do before they start the run through is stand in a close knit circle with Dodson as he gives them a pep talk saying “I enjoy you guys, and I have faith in you guys, lets kick some ass today!”

Everyone on the guild seems to agree that participating in a student run club is a different learning experience.  Dan Squizzero, a 22 year old senior, is the producer of the show, and he has been involved for three and a half years, doing both acting and directing, and now producing.  A short, robust, brunette with a roaring laugh, he sits quietly while the cast practices and takes notes.  Squizzero is a double major in history and theatre.  He describes being the producer as overseeing the entire production.  He interviews everyone and is on the casting board and runs that process as well.  He is also the go between for the cast and crew and holds meetings with everyone to see what works and what doesn’t.  Squizzero is involved in everything and loves it, saying, “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun, it’s well worth it to be involved in something as close knit and fulfilling as the Guild.”  Squizzero has quite a lot on his plate as he moves closer to graduating, but being involved in the Guild is certainly something he is proud of.

The UMass Amherst Theatre Guild being entirely student run makes it more intriguing to fellow classmates.  The fact that there are no adults involved showcases how independent and resourceful the cast and crew has to be.  The Guild prides itself in being student run, and that is what ultimately attracts most students to the organization.  It gives students a chance to show what they can accomplish on their own.