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Yeah, I know recommending a LES to Harlem commute is the kind of thing non-New Yorkers would say to New Yorkers.
I definitely know better.
It really is. Throughout the whole thing I kept telling her to 'trust the process', and if she put in the time and effort that she'd know when the right one came along. So glad it worked out for her.Fantastic story!!! Love reading these. Good luck and much success to her! She is gonna do great.About a month ago, my daughter ended her year+ long recruiting journey and committed to a DIII university to play women's ice hockey starting in the Fall of 2025 (I apologize for the book below).
We started the process in earnest in the late Spring/early Summer of 2023, at the tail end of her sophomore year. We pulled together a spreadsheet of schools that had women's hockey and had the area of study she wanted (Criminal Justice), put in coaches' names and contact info, and she got to work sending emails to them. I put together some videos showcasing her play, and she put those links into the emails. She did a few exposure camps and tournaments that Summer, and would email the coaches that were going to be there ahead of time to let them know she was going to be there, and coming out of those she started having coaches give her their cell numbers to text and they started setting up calls to get to know her, etc.
She's never been the type of player who is going to skate and stickhandle through 3 girls and laser a shot into the top corner. She's tall, a ferocious forechecker who loves to create offensive zone turnovers by pressuring the other team, does a lot of the dirty work along the boards and in front of the net, and is always looking to set up her linemates. She would regularly score 25-ish goals and have 35-ish assists in a 50 game season, just a good, solid, smart player with a great work ethic and attitude. She always felt like she was getting outshined by the girls who made it look effortless and could score 50+ goals in a season though. In one of the camps she went to that Summer, there was a coach of a top-10 DIII program who reached out to her after the camp (that she hadn't emailed originally because we didn't think that school had a CJ program). In his email he told her that he loved her game and how hard she worked, and it was like a light bulb went on for her. She realized that the way she played had value, and that she didn't need to try and be something she wasn't..that she should focus on making HER game the best it could be. It was like her confidence went through the roof after that.
She decided she wanted to focus on DIII schools early in the process. She was pretty level-headed about knowing that even if she was able to get a DI offer, she was going to be likely a bottom of the roster type of player. She made the decision to focus on DIII because she wanted to play and be able to have a bigger impact on whatever team she eventually went to, which we were totally supportive of.
She got her first offer in October 2023 (at the first school she visited), but obviously wasn't ready to make any decision at that point. Her dream had always been to play college hockey in Boston, but we told her to keep her mind open and encouraged her to visit all kinds of schools (small town, big town, in the middle, etc.), because you never know which campus will make you feel at home from the get-go.
Fast forward to August of this year and she is sitting on 6 different offers to play, seriously considering 3 of them (including UMass-Boston). She liked the coaches, programs, and campuses of all 3, and was planning on doing a final round of visits at each, hoping to make a decision by the end of September, when out of the blue she gets a text from a coach at a school we hadn't even considered asking her how her recruiting was going and if she'd ever consider her school (my daughter had known this coach through camps, etc. since she was 12). They were ranked in the top 15 last year, and top 20 the year before, so my daughter said she'd absolutely be interested. We made plans to visit the campus that Thursday, and the coach and one of the players took us on the tour, and gave her the offer to play there. We go out to eat lunch afterward with our daughter, and ask her what she thought. She looked at us and said.."this is it". That night I was texting with my wife while her and my daughter were visiting family in the area, and she said all our daughter was doing was talking about how great everything was there. I told her if she was sure, she should text the coach that night and tell her she was in. My wife wondered if she should wait, but I disagreed. I said that she had been on enough campus visits (10+), with enough variability in them, where if she says this is the place and the program for her, I don't see any reason to wait. They both agreed and our daughter texted the coach and accepted the offer that night.
The school has a great CJ program (with alumni in high-ranking positions in the FBI, which is what she wants to do), the rink they play in is a practically brand new facility, the locker room and weight rooms they have are insane, she knows and is comfortable with the coach, they are a successful team, we have family less than 30 minutes away from the school, and its about a 2-hour drive from us to the campus. It really couldn't have ended up any more perfect, and it's kind of crazy that after 15 months or so that it all happened so quickly and so out of the blue.
Super proud of her for all the hard work she has put in, and glad she can enjoy her final year of travel hockey and senior year of varsity hockey without having to worry about where she is going to be next year. Although she does understand that the hard work doesn't end here, it's really just starting. I'm looking forward to starting this next chapter as well.
Finding the right fit is so important.
Lol... We'd do the commute if there were guarantees. But The city is at a point of saturation. ANYTHING you do needs to be reserved or expect many hours wait... That's gotten way worse in the last 5 years. The handful of tennis courts here are definitely like that... And while I've not been to the ones you mention, I feel pretty confident that they're the same.Yeah, I know recommending a LES to Harlem commute is the kind of thing non-New Yorkers would say to New Yorkers.
I only mention because I figure a lot of people wouldn't know about them. used to ride the West Side on my bike the length of the island a lot, and they are a ways up there.
Hey, could be worse. You could have decided to get your kid into golf.Lol... We'd do the commute if there were guarantees. But The city is at a point of saturation. ANYTHING you do needs to be reserved or expect many hours wait... That's gotten way worse in the last 5 years. The handful of tennis courts here are definitely like that... And while I've not been to the ones you mention, I feel pretty confident that they're the same.Yeah, I know recommending a LES to Harlem commute is the kind of thing non-New Yorkers would say to New Yorkers.
I only mention because I figure a lot of people wouldn't know about them. used to ride the West Side on my bike the length of the island a lot, and they are a ways up there.
100% never burn bridges.It really is. Throughout the whole thing I kept telling her to 'trust the process', and if she put in the time and effort that she'd know when the right one came along. So glad it worked out for her.Fantastic story!!! Love reading these. Good luck and much success to her! She is gonna do great.About a month ago, my daughter ended her year+ long recruiting journey and committed to a DIII university to play women's ice hockey starting in the Fall of 2025 (I apologize for the book below).
We started the process in earnest in the late Spring/early Summer of 2023, at the tail end of her sophomore year. We pulled together a spreadsheet of schools that had women's hockey and had the area of study she wanted (Criminal Justice), put in coaches' names and contact info, and she got to work sending emails to them. I put together some videos showcasing her play, and she put those links into the emails. She did a few exposure camps and tournaments that Summer, and would email the coaches that were going to be there ahead of time to let them know she was going to be there, and coming out of those she started having coaches give her their cell numbers to text and they started setting up calls to get to know her, etc.
She's never been the type of player who is going to skate and stickhandle through 3 girls and laser a shot into the top corner. She's tall, a ferocious forechecker who loves to create offensive zone turnovers by pressuring the other team, does a lot of the dirty work along the boards and in front of the net, and is always looking to set up her linemates. She would regularly score 25-ish goals and have 35-ish assists in a 50 game season, just a good, solid, smart player with a great work ethic and attitude. She always felt like she was getting outshined by the girls who made it look effortless and could score 50+ goals in a season though. In one of the camps she went to that Summer, there was a coach of a top-10 DIII program who reached out to her after the camp (that she hadn't emailed originally because we didn't think that school had a CJ program). In his email he told her that he loved her game and how hard she worked, and it was like a light bulb went on for her. She realized that the way she played had value, and that she didn't need to try and be something she wasn't..that she should focus on making HER game the best it could be. It was like her confidence went through the roof after that.
She decided she wanted to focus on DIII schools early in the process. She was pretty level-headed about knowing that even if she was able to get a DI offer, she was going to be likely a bottom of the roster type of player. She made the decision to focus on DIII because she wanted to play and be able to have a bigger impact on whatever team she eventually went to, which we were totally supportive of.
She got her first offer in October 2023 (at the first school she visited), but obviously wasn't ready to make any decision at that point. Her dream had always been to play college hockey in Boston, but we told her to keep her mind open and encouraged her to visit all kinds of schools (small town, big town, in the middle, etc.), because you never know which campus will make you feel at home from the get-go.
Fast forward to August of this year and she is sitting on 6 different offers to play, seriously considering 3 of them (including UMass-Boston). She liked the coaches, programs, and campuses of all 3, and was planning on doing a final round of visits at each, hoping to make a decision by the end of September, when out of the blue she gets a text from a coach at a school we hadn't even considered asking her how her recruiting was going and if she'd ever consider her school (my daughter had known this coach through camps, etc. since she was 12). They were ranked in the top 15 last year, and top 20 the year before, so my daughter said she'd absolutely be interested. We made plans to visit the campus that Thursday, and the coach and one of the players took us on the tour, and gave her the offer to play there. We go out to eat lunch afterward with our daughter, and ask her what she thought. She looked at us and said.."this is it". That night I was texting with my wife while her and my daughter were visiting family in the area, and she said all our daughter was doing was talking about how great everything was there. I told her if she was sure, she should text the coach that night and tell her she was in. My wife wondered if she should wait, but I disagreed. I said that she had been on enough campus visits (10+), with enough variability in them, where if she says this is the place and the program for her, I don't see any reason to wait. They both agreed and our daughter texted the coach and accepted the offer that night.
The school has a great CJ program (with alumni in high-ranking positions in the FBI, which is what she wants to do), the rink they play in is a practically brand new facility, the locker room and weight rooms they have are insane, she knows and is comfortable with the coach, they are a successful team, we have family less than 30 minutes away from the school, and its about a 2-hour drive from us to the campus. It really couldn't have ended up any more perfect, and it's kind of crazy that after 15 months or so that it all happened so quickly and so out of the blue.
Super proud of her for all the hard work she has put in, and glad she can enjoy her final year of travel hockey and senior year of varsity hockey without having to worry about where she is going to be next year. Although she does understand that the hard work doesn't end here, it's really just starting. I'm looking forward to starting this next chapter as well.
Finding the right fit is so important.
The hardest part for her was having to tell the other coaches that she was going somewhere else, which I suspected it would be. Some of them put in a ton of time and effort through calls, reviewing video with her, etc., and she felt bad that decided to go elsewhere. I just reminded her that it was part of the process, and they wouldn't take it personally.
And thanks for the well wishes!
It's funny how sometimes it just feels right in all aspects. It's a big reason why they need to go see lot's of places (even places they don't think they will like). It gives points of reference so when you do find something you like it jumps right out to you.
He is also going to find out that now he is playing in the top 7% level and facing much better and more disciplined hitters.
For sure. It's why i was happy to hear him say that he was getting a lot of swing and misses and that it gave him a confidence boost to confirm that his stuff will be fine at this level.
We use these terms at work a lot but outside that...
Well I better use the correct term LOL.
No lol Intra is a scrimmage within your own team. You are correct!!@!@!@
Not according to the interwebz. I googled "what is the difference between intrasquad and intersquad" and they gave me the definition I used above. I suppose "inter" could also be a scrimmage against a different team as well.
) against 2 other schools. Played LF and batted first. First AB jammed dinker to third. Second AB end of bat to SS reached on error (throw took 1b off bag), third AB fooled on change up ground out to third
Wow. Daughter Skip sounds like a badass. Nice work!This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Is this HS or club?This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Club/Travel hockey, or Rep for our Canadian friends. Varsity HS hockey starts up in November for her.Is this HS or club?This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Sounds like a great return from a scary injury/incident. Loved hearing the coach screaming about her... That's awesome
Dammit I am dumb.... I am all.... who they heck is beisbol? I don't even know that screen name let alone seen a post.
Hi, I speak Z Machine.Dammit I am dumb.... I am all.... who they heck is beisbol? I don't even know that screen name let alone seen a post.
This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Yes, yes.... I am a moron but NOT that much of a moron that it didn't finally dawn on me.
beisbol = baseball.
hth.
We played Northwood, in Lake Placid.This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Which Prep School did you play? Where is she playing next year?
We played Northwood, in Lake Placid.This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Which Prep School did you play? Where is she playing next year?
She verbally committed to Utica University for next Fall. Pre-season poll has them ranked as #13 this year, she can't wait to get out there next year.
That's awesome, where did you play?We played Northwood, in Lake Placid.This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Which Prep School did you play? Where is she playing next year?
She verbally committed to Utica University for next Fall. Pre-season poll has them ranked as #13 this year, she can't wait to get out there next year.
Never been (Utica did not have a team when I played college hockey) but I have heard the facility is great...on the boy's side of things I know it is considered one of the better environments in D3...my school played there a few years ago and they said it was like playing minor league hockey...where else did she look?
Excellent on both counts. Good on your son for bouncing back in a positive manner, and best of luck to your daughter. Always love to see kids get out of their comfort zone and have the courage to try something new.
That's awesome, where did you play?We played Northwood, in Lake Placid.This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Which Prep School did you play? Where is she playing next year?
She verbally committed to Utica University for next Fall. Pre-season poll has them ranked as #13 this year, she can't wait to get out there next year.
Never been (Utica did not have a team when I played college hockey) but I have heard the facility is great...on the boy's side of things I know it is considered one of the better environments in D3...my school played there a few years ago and they said it was like playing minor league hockey...where else did she look?
She had offers from 7 schools in total, came down to Utica, SUNY Potsdam, UMass - Boston, and Chatham in the end. Was a tough choice, as they all had great coaches and she liked where they were taking their hockey programs, but Utica felt like "it" to her when everything was taken into consideration. The facility is fantastic.
D3 is pretty darned good hockey, on both the men and women's side. Seeing quite a few D1 players moving to D3 in the portal this year.That's awesome, where did you play?We played Northwood, in Lake Placid.This weekend my daughter played her first hockey games since the end of August, after another girl drove her head into the glass/stanchion by the bench as she was carrying the puck up the boards in the last game of a showcase.
Her team was ranked (via myhockeyrankings.com) as the #1 team in the country for their Tier and age group this past week. I know those rankings aren’t worth the paper they are printed on/computer screen they are displayed on, but was still fun to see. They played a prep school Friday and Saturday, and got humbled pretty quick although they did have some good stretches of play in both games. The prep school has like 10 D1 commits, including both goalies, and we were shorthanded missing a full line of good players, so it wasn’t a surprise. At this point we want her playing the best competition she can as she gets ready for her D3 college hockey next season (and to stay healthy).
Sunday they got back on track with 2 wins against a team in their own Tier, and she had a goal and an assist. Would have had 2 goals, she ripped a shot on a breakaway that was going top corner, but somehow the goalie got the knob of her stick on it to just deflect it over the net. Was great to watch her come flying off the bench on line changes again, putting pressure on the D behind their own net, causing turnovers, and playing her game. By the start of the 2nd period in the first game, you could hear the other team’s coaches screaming “one coming hard!!” every time she came off the bench.
She took some bumps, gave a few herself, and came through with no ill effects, which was a big relief. 5 more games coming up this weekend.
Which Prep School did you play? Where is she playing next year?
She verbally committed to Utica University for next Fall. Pre-season poll has them ranked as #13 this year, she can't wait to get out there next year.
Never been (Utica did not have a team when I played college hockey) but I have heard the facility is great...on the boy's side of things I know it is considered one of the better environments in D3...my school played there a few years ago and they said it was like playing minor league hockey...where else did she look?
She had offers from 7 schools in total, came down to Utica, SUNY Potsdam, UMass - Boston, and Chatham in the end. Was a tough choice, as they all had great coaches and she liked where they were taking their hockey programs, but Utica felt like "it" to her when everything was taken into consideration. The facility is fantastic.
I played at Trinity...the boys lost to Hobart in the National Title game last year...Hobart was as good of a D3 team as I have ever seen...real big and fast...hard to believe it was D3, looked like the freakin' NHL (probably because they are older than a lot of pro's)...Trinity hosted the Final 4 and it was a great event...I'm not familiar with Chatham, what is that school like? I see Norwich is on the Utica schedule...my niece plays there although she is a senior this year so they won't cross paths...that's another great rink. What did you think of UMass-Boston...they are in the Little East Conference (which is expanding big time in hockey with Norwich, Babson and NEC joining and West Conn and Keene adding hockey as well)...my son plays lax at Plymouth State which is also in the Little East...UMB has come a long way recently...they are doing a good job over there...congrats on Utica...nothing better than your kid playing a college sport...it is an amazing experience for the whole family...hope you live close to the campus...there's a lot of long rides in upstate New York hockey.
