Hamline’s women’s hockey team has made headlines many times through their success on the ice. This season, they hope to acquire another round of successes with a new head coach, Whitney Colbert. 

Colbert may be new to  Hamline but she is far from new to hockey as a former Division three athlete. She played for four years at Trinity College in Connecticut. During her time there, she was an intern for the USA national hockey team. During her internship, she assisted in the 2013 Olympic trials.  “That’s what really started to spark my interest in coaching,” Colbert said. “I always knew I wanted to be a part of hockey in some capacity and then the internship was how I continued to love the sport.”

Colbert has had much experience with winning. She has led past teams to victory after a 55 game losing streak, which might have something to do with her coaching philosophy. 

“If you get to know your players, you get to coach them to the best of their abilities,” Colbert said.

She is also looking forward to being in the competitive atmosphere that the Hamline women’s team is a part of. 

“The MIAC is a super strong league. The depth of the league is really strong and I’m looking forward to it,” Colbert said.  Colbert is not the only one looking forward to getting the season started. The women’s hockey players are equally excited about Colbert’s entry into their team. Senior Molly Garin has a positive outlook on her new head coach.

“I think she’s gonna be really good for us, and be really good for the program,” Garin said.

With Hamline women’s hockey having lots of experience with success in the past, Colbert has big ambitions for the team this year.  “Our ultimate goal is to win a national championship and that starts with winning our league first,” Colbert said.

Fans of the team might ask how Colbert is planning to accomplish these goals. 

“It’s all about being process driven and believing we can have that win-win mentality. We can win on the scoreboard but we can also win in the small victories, whether that’s good communication or positive energy in practice or blocking a shot in a big moment in a game. Those moments are really important to me,” Colbert said.

Thankfully, due to the high rate of COVID-19 vaccinations slowing the spread, Hamline fans will be able to welcome Whitney and a regular season this year. Last year the women’s hockey team only played six games and had to cancel six others. The year before they had to cut their season short. Needless to say, it has been a long time since the women’s hockey team has had anything near a regular season.  “I know they’re excited to get on the ice, I think people are just ready to get going,” Colbert said. 

There is much anticipation for the season to start, both from Colbert and the players. After many months of waiting, the women’s team will be able to glide back onto the ice for their first game in November with Whitney Colbert leading them into puck battle.