Name: Lauren O’Malley
Major: Computer Engineering
Year: 2018
Name: Gabby Lopez
Major: Communications
Minor: Marketing
Year: 2017
Her Campus: How did you get involved with Fairfield men’s hockey?
Lauren O’Malley: I love hockey- I grew up watching my brothers play. Last year, my brother was senior captain, and this year he’s graduate captain.
Gabby Lopez: I’ve been playing hockey for 10 years, and played in high school. I wanted to continue in college but Fairfield got rid of the women’s team right before I started here! So to still be involved, I began managing the men’s team. I’m allowed to practice with them too, but not play in games L.
HC: What’s your role as manager?
LOM: As manager I run the Twitter account, cover live feed of home games, and schedule updates on the website. Basically, keeping track of wins/scores and update the site accordingly.
GL: When I started I edited website material, took pictures, ran the clock, and put up statistics.
HC: What are the best and worst parts of managing the team?
LOM: The team is really awesome, you get close with all the guys and they’re wicked fun. Plus, college hockey is fun to watch. Last year, I was able to go to Alabama with the team for Nationals, which was awesome. The worst thing? The guys- just kidding! Sometimes late games and practices on weeknights can get annoying. Also, when we’re scoring, we have to act “civil”- basically not playing favorites with teams, which is hard.
GL: The best is being involved with the sport and getting to meet new people. The worst is probably that the refs sometimes give us a hard time, I think because we’re girls. Little do they know we know a lot more than they think. Also, it’s hard to get rides to games and practices, for the team, and us since there aren’t buses for fans or us.
HC: What’s your favorite memory from managing the team?
LOM: Last year, my brother’s last game as senior captain was at Nationals in Alabama. At the end, all the fans went on the ice to congratulate the team; it was really great.
GL: We hosted a home game in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project and were able to bring in Marine veterans and Fairfield alumni Jon Canniff for the ceremonial puck drop. It was a special night for me because I was able to incorporate my favorite sport and organization.
HC: How can fans show support for the team?
LOM: Stay updated with @stagshockey on Twitter. We also have three home games and playoffs coming up next semester, so it would be great if fans could get to any of those. The team gets excited when there’s a big crowd, and they’re good too.
GL: Try to get to games, which can be hard but it’s good to have people in the stands.
HC: Any goals for the team?
Both: They were ranked #4 in the first ranking (there are 3 sets of ranking before it’s decided which team get the National bid). So they definitely want to move up and make it to Nationals this year.
HC: What’s the teams record so far?
Both: 10 wins, 1 tie, 3 losses. We have a tournament coming up in Philly this weekend.
HC: Where are the home games?
Both: They’re in Shelton, so only about 25 minutes away.
Support Fairfield Men’s Hockey by going to games, and follow on Instagram @fairfieldhockey and Twitter @stagshockey