Every winter our dark and desolate rink suddenly lights up and is filled with hundreds of Canterbury students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents. It becomes one of the brightest, if coldest, spots on campus, especially after its new paint job.
Hockey season is something every girl on the varsity hockey team looks forward to the minute they step onto campus after summer break. This year it was going to be a bit different for some of the returners, as they were going to be coached by the new college counselor, Katherine Mandigo, and new Assistant Director of Admission, Caitlin Cataldo. After talking to captains Ariella Haas ‘18 and Gabriella Vitelli ’18, it was clear to see that the team had great leadership and coaching.
“One of the biggest things I enjoyed this season was our team chemistry and our strong work ethic,” said Gabby. “When we were together as a team we worked really hard because we wanted to succeed for each other. We found most of our success within each other. The better we were off the ice, the more it showed on the ice.”
Ariella and Gabby both really enjoyed being captains, keeping things fun and light when off the ice, but competitive and serious when on the ice.
“Some of our biggest highlights from this season were the games where we had time to bond beforehand, such as our game against Lawrenceville School. Although we lost, that time we had before, it really increased our connectivity as a team and created such positive energy on the ice,” said Ariella. “Our win against Berkshire was also another huge confidence boost, because they are a really good Division 1 school.”
Next year Canterbury can expect to see a strong, determined team.
“Rachael DeLong ‘19 is going to be a huge force on offense and Jade Brinker ‘20 is going to be a big force on defense,” agreed the captains.
“Jami Procanik ‘19 and Casey Chizmazia ‘19 work really well together and are always pushing each other. If they keep working together I think they are going to make each other really strong,” they continued.
They also agreed that Katherine Hesslink ‘19 has really good hand-eye coordination and Madelyne Hackett ‘19 works really hard. Nikki DeCola ‘19 is a big motivator for the team and Charlotte Zapletal ‘21, once she finds her confidence on the ice, is going to be a really strong player.
“All those girls just need to try to stay out of the penalty box and they will find their success,” said Ariella.
One of the biggest things Gabby and Ariella believe the team needs to improve on is attitude.
“I think we had all the skills we needed this season to succeed. it was just our attitude and mentality that needed to improve,” said Ariella.
“Some of our best games were the ones where we had the opportunity to bond before the game – where there was no drama, and we just left whatever happened outside the rink or in the locker room behind,” said Gabby.
The girls ended the season with a record of 15 wins, one tie, and 14 losses. They made it to the Division playoffs against the Rivers school, where they lost 2-3. But the returning girls can’t wait for next hockey season.
Leave a Reply