Last weekend was our first home series in Pegula! It was such an amazing weekend with so much support from my friends and family. I loved seeing my family in the stands again and I was in awe at how many fans we had at the first game!

We played Union to break in the new rink. Our first game was on Friday at 7pm. Our team played well, but unfortunately we got some unlucky bounces and came up short on the score board. We ended up losing our first game 2-1, our only goal scored by #40, Shannon Yoxheimer.

As I mentioned in my last post we had a skate after our game with anyone who wanted to join us on the ice. It was a great experience seeing all our fans want to skate with us, they even ran out of most sizes of rental skates because there were so many people getting skates to come on the ice. People from 5 years to 40 years old skated with us. My brother had a blast skating and even got some pictures with the other players on my team.

The next day we were able to redeem ourself by defeating Union 2-1. Our first goal scored by Jill Holdcraft, a hometown favorite, on a break away given up by a defender losing her edge while trying to control the puck. I scored the second goal late in the third period to win it. Jeannette Bateman had a great shot from the point, and I just had to put away the rebound. We were thrilled to have our first win in Pegula under our belts. After our loss on Friday the team was disappointed but coming back with a win the next day was a huge boost in our morale.

Right as we were going out on the ice before our second game our coach calls back saying my line would be starting today. This was huge, being able to skate out to the blue line while they announced your name is such a cool experience. I was so excited because so much of my family was there to watch me, and they would be able to see me in the starting line up. Usually on a hockey team the coaches don’t change the starting line up so having the chance to be announced is a rare opportunity for players not on the original starting line up.

Overall the weekend was a success. Although we didn’t win our first game, I’m glad we could redeem ourselves in the second game. Our next three game series are home and then its back on the road for us. Next weekend we play the University of New Hampshire and hopefully get our second and third win for Women’s Ice Hockey in Pegula. Come out and support us if you have time on Saturday at 7pm or Sunday at 2pm. They games are free with your student ID and they are a good time!