Northern Michigan University Women's Club Hockey is among 16 teams that will compete at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 National Championship starting Tuesday, March 15, in St. Louis, Mo.
Northern's schedule for the national championship begins as follows: 10 a.m. March 15 against Northeastern University; 3 p.m. March 16 against the University of Delaware; and 3:15 p.m. March 17 against North Dakota State University. The Wildcats' performance in the first three games determines whether they move on to the next round.
“Our team consists of 10 skaters and two goalies who are dedicated because of their love of the game,” said head coach Jim Higgins. “ We are 12-9-2 for the season, with all of our losses coming from four teams that will also be at Nationals.”
Higgins said Wildcat Chloe Valente leads the D2 division with 27 goals and 27 assists, for 54 points. Next is Vivian Kowalske at 6th in the division with 30 goals and 15 assists for 45 points, followed by Paris Wegleitner at 7th with 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points. Senior blueliner Izzy Oldani is the team captain, with junior centers Faith Delgado and Wegleitner as assistant captains.
“I started playing hockey when I was 8 years old,” said Oldani. “I have played here at NMU for the last four years and it's been a blast. I came to Northern for a few reasons, but one of them was to continue doing what I love in a place that has such a supportive community for our team.”
Delgado made the shift from roller hockey to ice hockey in 7th grade and has not looked back. She originally planned to attend a different university.
“Then one of my friends, Victoria Wozniak, who was a captain last year, told me to change it up and come to Northern instead because the nursing program is super good and it had the hockey team,” Delgado said. “I tore my knee open from hockey my senior year in high school, so I originally thought I wouldn't still play. But here I am.”
Women's Club Hockey became a sport at NMU in 2000. The team travels throughout lower Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota to compete mainly against other colleges' club hockey teams.
“One of the challenges of being a club sport instead of a varsity sport is that almost all of the expenses come from out of pocket,” Oldani added. “This would be for transportation, lodging, apparel and other things. We do some fundraising throughout the year, but mainly the expenses are out of pocket.”
Oldani said the women's club hockey team is always accepting donations, and is grateful for any support. Donations can be made through the NMU Foundation at https://connect.nmu.edu/givewomensclubhockey.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and includes more than 500 college and university‐affiliated programs. It provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes the quality and growth of collegiate ice hockey throughout the United States.
The National Championships will be streamed exclusively through HockeyTV.
Prepared by Nicholas Jones and Kristi Evans.