Women’s Ice Hockey has strong start to the season

By LilyBelle Cogliano

This year, the women's ice hockey team entered the season prepared and focused, and their determination has been evident in their strong performances and numerous victories. From their season opener, the team’s energy, confidence, and discipline have been a clear reflection of the work they’ve put in behind the scenes leading up to this year's season. 

Speaking on the team's mindset heading into November, senior Maddi Achtyl said, “I think everyone is very happy with how our season has started so far, and we are excited to keep the ball rolling and start November strong.” 

“The team's energy this year is unmatched. We’ve adopted a ‘Never give up’ attitude that’s really shown in our performance over the past month,” she said. “I think after how our season ended last year, this year everyone came in ready to work, and work together. We wanted to show how hard each of us trained over the summer to have a better outcome this year.” 

After a rocky start, conceding two losses to Syracuse and another to Saint Anselm, Stonehill women's ice hockey fought back with an outstanding win streak throughout October. They closed out the month 3-3-1 overall and 3-1-1 in New England Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) play. 

On October 17, senior Maddi Achtyl delivered a standout performance, recording her first-ever career hat trick in Stonehill's 3-2 overtime victory over Sacred Heart - marking the team's first victory of the 2025-2026 NEWHA season at Bridgewater Ice Arena. 

The momentum continued the next day when Stonehill beat Sacred Heart again 2-0 on October 18, 2025. Senior goalie Eve Stone stopped all forty-three shots she faced in a spectacular performance. She helped secure a hard-fought victory Saturday afternoon at Bridgwater Ice Arena.  

After this triumphant weekend, senior classmates Maddi Achtyl and Eve Stone earned the titles of New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) player and goalie of the week. 

On October 24, 2025, the Skyhawks added another win to their record, fighting tooth and nail in an overtime victory over rival Saint Anselm College at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston – moving them to  3-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Shortly after, they skated to a 1-1 draw against Long Island University and claimed a 1-0 shootout win, advancing their overall ranking to 3-3-1 and their conference record to 3-1-1. 

Keeping this momentum going, the team maintained their winning rhythm with a 4-2 victory over NEWHA opponent Long Island University on November 1, 2025, marking their second sweep of the season. With this win, the Skyhawks improved to a 4-3-1 overall record. 

About a week later, the team triumphantly scored a 4-1 victory against Assumption. This brought the team up to a 5-3-1 record. 

Even with a single loss mixed into their recent games, the team never lost momentum and remained strong, composed, and unified. The Skyhawks sit at a 5-4-1 overall and 5-2-1 in conference play going into their seventh week of play.  

Looking ahead, the team's confidence continues to build with every game. If their recent performances are any indication, Stonehill Women's Ice Hockey is on track to make this a standout season!