Women’s club hockey team skates into inaugural season

Growth is the focus for the Augustana Women’s Club Hockey team. Head coach Ben Prisbe said the goal in the team’s inaugural season is not their record but the foundation they set for the years to come.

“The expectation that we’ve set with the girls is that the record at the end of the day does not matter in regard to a successful year,” Prisbe said. “It’s been about growth and getting better each day.”

Prisbe is the coach for both the men’s and women’s club hockey teams and said he’s enjoyed getting to envision what these programs will look like in the years to come. 

Building a team starts with recruitment. Prisbe said he was looking for players that would help to build a quality culture and identity for the women’s club hockey team. 

“First and foremost, it comes with [good] character kids and kids that are excited about Augie and excited about the club hockey program, and after that, it kind of takes care of itself when you build that foundation and culture,” Prisbe said. 

Freshman goalie Lexi Metcalf said she can see the team’s development throughout the season and said she set a personal goal to be a reliable team member. 

“One of the major goals for the end of this year I want to accomplish is to be consistent, so they can have someone to rely on and vice versa,” Metcalf said.  

Junior center Ashton Fogelman said she set a goal to rediscover her hockey groove after taking a few years off – she tries to be a leader for the team by setting an example for the younger players. The team is composed of 13 women – eight of whom are freshmen.

Freshman defensewomen Kylie Lattimer said she appreciates the mentorship her older teammates offer.

“They’re all so nice and sweet, so the team atmosphere has been really good so far,” Lattimer said. “We all get along, and there’s good chemistry.”  

Additionally, this is Prisbe’s first opportunity to coach a women’s team. He said that it was an adjustment, but the team’s camaraderie and welcoming atmosphere was their biggest strength. 

“It’s a different world, but it’s been so rewarding, just the connections that I’ve built with the team and we have such a good group, so it’s been easy,” Prisbe said.  

The team practices for about an hour and 15 minutes three times a week. 

According to Prisbe, in practice, the team is focusing on individual skills and building team confidence.  

Sophomore forward Hannah Goerndt said she looks forward to practices because of the coaches’ knowledge and investment into the program. 

“Practices are definitely my favorite, especially with the transition from high school to college,” Goerndt said. “It’s so different and it’s an hour and a half where I just don’t have to think about that, and I can actually just go and play.” 

Metcalf agrees and said the coaching staff make a huge impact on her club hockey experience. 

“It makes you want to get better every single day because they want the same thing for you, and they want to see everyone succeed as well, so I think that makes a huge difference on what kind of team you have,” Metcalf said. 

On Nov. 9, after two losses to Lake Region State College, the Augustana Women’s Club Hockey team won against the same team, 4-1. This marked a major milestone in their program’s history – their first win. 

“I think it was just awesome to see all their hard work that they put in the past two months take shape into this one game,” Prisbe said. “It was definitely well deserved and well earned for them.” 

Fogelman said the win demonstrated the team’s growth over the season. 

“We had some rough starts, but we are coming along very nicely, and I am very proud of the strides that we are making to create a better team, especially for next year, even next semester,” Fogelman sai. 

On Nov. 14, the Vikings gained their first win against Lake Region State College at the Midco Arena. Fogelman scored the game winning goal in overtime. 

“We were all so excited,” Goerndt said.  “I think we all realized that we can play against these teams that have that depth and have had programs for years.”

The team traveled to the University of Iowa where they played the Hawkeyes on Nov. 16 and 17. The Augustana team swept the weekend with the final score being 4-3 both nights. This brings the Augustana Women’s Club Hockey team season record to 4-2. 

Looking ahead, Prisbe said he looks forward to transitioning the team to a larger roster and adding more games to the schedule. According to Prisbe, by adding more games and practices, he hopes to make the women’s club hockey team more competitive in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.