Eva Pace
Reporter
@espcourant
Coming off of a 12-9-1 season last year, the NCHS girls hockey team is ready to get back on the ice and have another successful season. Despite losing ten seniors, the girls are confident that they can continue where they left off last season.
The last two seasons of girls hockey were the first time ever that the ladies did not make the FCIAC or state final. However, senior co-captains Kate McMahon, Catherine Granito and Mia Carroll are confident that they have the drive it takes to motivate the team and win it all. “Last year was what we like to call a developing year,” Catherine said. “We were good, but not as good as past years. My freshman year we were a powerhouse and it has not been the same since.”
The captains, as well as head coach Rich Bulan, plan to bring the team back to its former greatness this season. “We had a very young defense last season. Elizabeth McCarthy was a freshman playing defense, sophomore Bella Marciano, a forward, was playing defense just so we had enough people, and one of our better defensemen, senior Emma Patch, broke her wrist,” coach Bulan said. “We really struggle defensively sometimes, but if we put pucks into the net and get a little tighter defensively this year, we’ll be fine.”
Even though coach Bulan feels that the team has many tough games this year, he knows that the girls are ready for the challenge. “We’ve always scheduled tough teams, we like pushing the boundaries and trying to get as good as we can be,” Coach Bulan said.
In particular, Darien has always been competitive against the girls hockey team. “We really gear a lot of our training and work toward Darien,” Mia said. “We played them twice last year and only lost 4-3 the second time. We’re definitely excited to play them again and get another chance.”
Overall, the ice hockey team is sure they will be a force to be reckoned with this year, and the girls are confident that they will rise to the top despite their setbacks. “We set three basic goals every year,” Coach Bulan said. “One is to win the preseason tournament; two is to get into the FCIAC finals; and the third is to get into the state final. If we do that, we will have a good year.”
