The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Will Rossmiller wross460@uwsp.edu
Head Coach Ann Ninnemann and the Pointers Women’s Hockey team will start their 2013-14 campaign at home on Friday against St. Olaf College.
Coming off a subpar 12-13-3 season, the Pointers return 19 of 24 players that were on the team last year, and are set for a strong showing.
Ninnemann has high expectations for this team.
“We are hoping to finish on top of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,” Ninnemann said.
The players have similar expectations for the season ahead.
“We expect the effort to be there every day so our performance constantly improves throughout the year, so we are at our peak for playoffs,” said senior forward Cassandra Salmen.
“We want to go hard from the start of the season and keep the energy up throughout our season,” said junior defender Nicole Shaub.
The biggest change from last season for the Pointers will be their move from the Northern College Hockey Association to the WIAC. It’s a change that players and Coach Ninnemann welcome.
“With only four teams in WIAC it will be a bigger rivalry and every game will be war, which will make the games more intense and fun to compete,” Salmen said. “We are excited to join the WIAC,” Shaub said. “Our team is excited to start the season and let the rivalries begin.”
“I think changes are always challenging and we are looking at it with a positive light,” Ninnemann said. “We will be seeing each conference opponent four times throughout the season and each time we will be bringing our best.”
The team has been working hard in training for the season and believes that the work it’s put in has prepared them for another challenging year and believe the sky’s the limit.
“We did a lot of off-ice conditioning over six weeks that prepared us mentally and physically for this season,” Salmen said. “Getting up at 6 a.m. every morning wasn’t easy, but we had each other to helppush through it and finish strong.” “Everyone has worked hard these last nine weeks, which I think will help us in our first game against St. Olaf this weekend and in future games,” Shaub said.
“Our team has potential to do great things this year,” Salmen said. “The key is to execute by not taking any days off and having the drive to win.”
“If we can apply ourselves and come ready to every practice and game, we will be a team to keep an eye on,” Shaub said.
“We absolutely have the potential to be the best team in the conference if we bring our best every day, however, it is just a matter of bringing our A game to practice each and every day, along with bringing our best to each game,” Ninnemann said.
