The Bowdoin Women’s Hockey team has had an incredible season, leading to the NESCAC Semifinals–which commence at Middlebury tomorrow. This second-seeded team will take on third-seeded Amherst in an effort to claim the NESCAC championship for the first time since 2004, as well as earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.
Undoubtedly contributing to the team’s impressive 19-4-2, 12-3-1 NESCAC record is the leadership of its senior players. They are (in order of jersey number): #1 Tara Connolly, #2 Stephanie Ludy (captain), #5 Kenzie Novak, #11 Kayte Holtz (captain), #15 Jay Greene, #18 Kim Tess-Wanat, and #29 Kayla Lessard.
We caught up with Tara Connolly and Stephanie Ludy to find out a little bit about life on the women’s hockey team:
1. As you look back on your experience at Bowdoin, what has been the most meaningful aspect of being on the hockey team?
SL: Having such a close-knit group of friends. By spending so much of our time together, I was able to get to know each of my teammates over the past four years really well.
TC: The most meaningful aspect of my experience has easily been my teammates. The big wins will be fun to remember, but ultimately the people sitting around you in the locker room have the biggest impact on your experience. Our class is lucky in that we will graduate with the same eight players as entered freshmen year, so we’ve grown pretty close as a result.
2. What’s your motto when you’re on the ice?
SL: Have fun. Personally and as a team, we play our best hockey when we’re playing together and having fun.
TC: Stay focused but relaxed and have fun. Also, “please please please let us score first.”
3. What is your favorite song to listen to before a game?
SL: Easily, ‘Girl on Fire’ by Alicia Keys. We’re definitely not the best singers, but when the chorus comes on our entire team joins in and it really gets us pumped for the game.
TC: ‘Alors on Danse Remix with Kanye West’ by Gilbere Forte or ‘Memories’ by Kud Cudi get me ready to play. I feel like those are people’s go-to songs when they are stoned, but for some reason they make me want to play hockey.
4. What’s your favorite school to travel to? Why?
SL: Either Colby because it’s closest, or Hamilton because I get to visit my cousin Connor who goes there.
TC: Trinity has one of the nicer rinks in the NESCAC so we get pretty solid locker room accommodations as visitors. It’s also close to my hometown in CT, which enables my family to come and watch. The downside is its location in Hartford, because there’s always the chance of our bus getting jacked or shot. What’s life without a little added danger?
5. What do you want the Bowdoin community to know about women’s hockey here?
SL: The hockey team at Bowdoin is such an amazing group of girls. We always have such a good time no matter where we are and are so accepting of the variety of personalities we have on our team.
TC: We’re just a bunch of goobers playing the sport we love without taking ourselves too seriously.