After their 3-0 win over Harvard University on Saturday, Colgate University’s women’s ice hockey team is on a 10-game winning streak. Typical.
Ranked fifth in the nation and first in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) hockey league as of Nov. 19, the team is accustomed to success and has been for years. Each of the past four seasons has been commemorated by a new ECAC championship banner in the rafters and another shot at the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament.
“A five-peat is definitely on the mind,” said Elyssa Biederman, a junior forward who’s racked up the second-most points on the team so far. “Winning the championship and moving on to the Frozen Four and finishing what we started last year would be nice for this group.”
No matter all the uncertainties that come with the postseason, one thing is for certain: the women’s hockey alumni will be cheering them on. From Friday, Nov. 15 to Sunday, Nov. 17, former Colgate women’s ice hockey players gathered back at their alma mater for alumni weekend, and made their presence known.
During the Harvard game, they rang their special alumni-issued bells, danced during the post-game goal song and cheered in support of good defensive plays.
“We have a great alumni network,” said Biederman. “They just want to do everything to help us. They’re passionate fans and passionate alumni.”
Madeline Bayliss ’76 was one of the founding members of the Colgate women’s ice hockey team. The program uniquely started as a club team, but through a Title IX lawsuit, it worked its way up from a Division 3 to a Division 1 organization.
Bayliss, the goalie for the then-club team, played all of her games in figure skates.
“It is such a different world,” Bayliss said, comparing her team with the current one. “There are times I say I’m not even skilled enough to tie their laces on their skates.”
“We’re just so proud seeing it, and we don’t take credit for it,” Bayliss continued, “The credit is owned by the players, the parents, the staff that creates it every day, and nobody takes anything for granted.”
Last year was the first time the team had made it to the Frozen Four since their championship-game run in the 2017-2018 season, which ended in defeat. This year, they’re determined to push even further.
“I don’t see why not,” said Casey Borgeil, a junior defensemen who transferred to Colgate this year. “I would love to win the national championship.”
Annika Zalewski ’18 was the captain of that 2017-2018 season team.
“The program means a lot to me,” Zalewski said. “Those memories hold a special place in my heart, and it’s really cool now to watch the current team and how skilled and talented they are, and I’m just rooting for them now to go a little bit further than we could.”
Despite their consistency throughout the years, Biederman acknowledged how the team changes each season.
“We’re not the same group as we were last year. Personnel is different. Personalities are different. We don’t play the same way, but we still stick to the beliefs and morals of this program,” Biederman said.
Biederman continued, elaborating on the messages Stefan Decosse has been promoting in his first season as Head Coach of the team.
“We have our motto, ‘We Play Free,’ so I think we’re a very creative group. They like us to express that creativity on the ice, and they want us to have fun with it, and just let hockey be hockey.”
Borgeil chipped in with a smile, “Hockey is fun.”
That seems to be the consensus among the whole team, who Borgeil described as lighthearted.
“The girls aren’t afraid to joke around or have fun before a game,” Borgeil said.
Fun games like pre-game rounds of “sewer,” post-practice shootouts and games of “activation” during practice are part of what fosters the team’s cohesion and fuels their competitive spirit.
“Every day when you go into the rink for a game, everyone’s dialed in on winning. It’s not even a question that everyone just wants to win in this locker room,” Borgeil said. “We have a very skilled team, and very smart players too. Everyone works very well together.”
A part of Colgate’s success can be attributed to each players’ ability to play their part on the team.
“I think everyone’s really bought into their roles as the first half has gone on. Everyone’s important to this team,” said Biederman. “I think supporting each other’s successes and supporting each other on and off the ice is what builds that trust between two people, and we trust whoever’s on the ice is going to make the right play and, you know, give it their all out there.”
Bayliss, who continues to be involved with Colgate as a lead mentor in the entrepreneurial program Thought Into Action, is eager to engage with current players about their next steps:
“They are future alumni, so we create that connection from the beginning,” Bayliss said.
“Colgate is very much a place where people can be who they are, become who they want to be, and have the opportunity to do many new things,” Bayliss added. “This is my happy place.”
