TRIA Rink has hosted three visiting teams this hockey season since competition began and these visiting teams are not the only newcomers to the Hamline rink. Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams have welcomed new head coaches to their roster this season. 

The new women’s head coach, Whitney Colbert, has much experience with Division III hockey having been a player herself. The men’s head coach, Shane Wagner, while new to the coaching side of Hamline, was a defensive player on the Hamline hockey team while he got his undergraduate degree from Hamline. 

Each team played a double-header last weekend and each team ended with a 1–1 record to take home from the matches. The women’s hockey currently stands at 2–2 overall 1–1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The men’s team holds 1–3 and has not played any conference games yet. 

The men’s hockey team started their game-filled weekend with a win over the University of Wisconsin River Falls. On Friday, November 12 the final game score was 2–0. Hamline handed UW River Falls their first loss of their season and this was the Piper’s first win of ours as well as Wagner’s first collegiate win. 

During the game, Hamline’s goaltender, junior Kevin Lake, had a total of 37 saves on the net. This was huge for the Pipers and brought their defense to the next level of efficacy. 

The two scores of the match were completed by sophomore Bailey Sommers in the second period and senior Brandon Bissett in the third period. 

On November 13 the Pipers fell short to the Northland Lumberjacks. The Pipers were on the road again this time traveling to Ashland, Wisconsin. The final score was 1–0. Kevin Lake had 29 saves at the net. The team’s next game is at Concordia Moorhead on November 16th.

The women’s hockey team also had a doubleheader last weekend, playing against Minneapolis’ Augsburg Auggies twice. The women had similar results as their male counterparts, winning on Friday and falling short on Saturday. 

On November 12, the Pipers hosted Augsburg at TRIA. The final score was 3–1, with all goals being scored in the third period. Hamline’s goals were scored by junior Sophie Rausch, junior Michaela Arnold and junior Elizabeth Valley. Junior goaltender Ava Bailey had a total of 31 saves throughout the three periods. 

The second meeting of the two teams on Saturday, November 13 was a score-filled game. The final was 5–3 with Augsburg taking the win this go-around. Augsburg scored their first goal in the first period, one in the second, and three goals in the third. The Pipers scored their first two goals in the second period and one more in the third period. Bailey had 21 saves total. The women’s next game is Friday, November 19 at TRIA Rink against the University of Saint Catherine.