At the beginning of their season, both the players and coaches of the Madison-Chatham girls’ ice hockey team were not sure how this season would go. Most figured it would probably get off to a slow start, however the girls surprised themselves, the coaches, and the fans. The girls showed they could hang with some of the best teams in the league by starting their season with a tough game against the third ranked team in the league, Kent Place, losing only 2-1.

After their initial loss, the team bounced back with two back-to-back wins, each with a seven goal differential. The team continued to gain momentum moving up in the league ranking, securing the number four spot after playing only three games. “It was a really big accomplishment for us to be ranked fourth after only three games since we didn’t even know if we’d have enough girls for a team when the idea was suggested” said Madison junior Maddie Gleason.

However the girls really proved themselves on January 18th when they played Princeton Day School- the top team in the league, notorious for their unstoppable offense. It was a hard fought game with lots of back and forth action, yet the he final score was 1-0 Princeton Day. Though it was a loss, the Madison-Chatham girls demonstrated their ability to skate with a top team and fight until the final whistle.

Since that game, the girls have continued to work hard, upping their dryland practices from one day a week to two and increasing the intensity of their practices on the ice. “The extra workouts and practices have really improved our stamina and it shows in our games” said Madison junior Carlin Collier. Besides practice, the team often has team dinners that help to build team chemistry. Being from different towns, many of the girls had never met, making team building activities such as these dinners imperative. “The more we get to know each other, the better we play. You can really see the improvement on the ice from the beginning of the season to now” said Chatham senior Casey Marshall.