BSU Women’s Hockey Returns Experienced But Youthful Group

There will be many familiar faces this year for the Bemidji State women’s hockey team as they return 8 of its top 10 goal scorers, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies.

“It’s kind of a comfort,” says head coach Jim Scanlan. “You have experience in the net, you have experience back on the blue line, and a group of forwards that had some pretty good success last year.”  

The core of the team is its 9 sophomores, who were highly touted as freshmen last year and now have a year of experience under their belts.

“Everyone says that going from high school to college…the speed of the game is usually the same… but you have to think a lot faster, which makes the game faster,” says sophomore Clair DeGeorge. “So it’s nice to be able to play into that for a year.”

Leading the team are its three seniors, including captain Melissa Hunt.

“It’s a lot of honor in that role and I’m just really thankful for my team,” says Hunt. “They were definitely helping me be a leader by them all being leaders.”

The team jumps right into the fire this weekend as they open their season with the number one ranked, two-time defending champion Clarkson Golden Knights.

“We know that it’s going to be a tremendous challenge,” says Scanlan. “But you know, the bigger the challenger, the bigger the opportunity so that’s how we’re going to look at it.”

“They move the puck well, they’re always moving,” says DeGeorge. “I think if we just go out, we’re a very fast team, go out and set the pace, or if they set the pace, keep up with them, and we’ll have a good chance.”

“They have championship swagger. They’ll come in here with that and they’ll be a tremendous challenge for us,” says Scanlan.