The Virginia women's hockey team played host to the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey League Championship this past weekend as two days of intense games excited fans at the Charlottesville Ice Park. Last season, Virginia won the Spikes Cup trophy, which stands a full three feet tall (taller than the Stanley Cup). The Cavaliers failed to repeat their title victory, falling to Delaware and Pennsylvania despite the honor of hosting the playoffs.
"Having the playoffs here was very important to us," said Jenny Kane, senior defensive player and team captain. "It was an achievement for us, because we are the southernmost team in the league, and most teams have to travel two to four hours to get to Charlottesville. Usually the situation is reversed, where we have to travel to Washington and Philadelphia."
Kane, who is also the president of the club team, noted that the significance of the event extends beyond just travel time.
"This was our chance to have a big event for the first time, as it's our third year as official members of the league," Kane said. "This basically announced our arrival."
Virginia was ranked No. 3 in the Southeast Region by the American Collegiate Hockey Association and received votes for the Top 15 national rankings through mid-February. Going into the playoffs, the top four teams in the DVCHL were separated by only two points. Top-seed Delaware (7-1-0-2) faced No. 4 seed Virginia (7-3-0-0) in the opening game. In the two regular season matchups between the Blue Hens and the Cavaliers, Virginia won both games, including a victory at the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Capitals.
Things did not go according to plans for the Cavaliers, however. Virginia lost the opening round game to the regular season champion, Delaware, 7-4. Sunday, in the third-place game, Virginia fell to No. 3 seed Pennsylvania (6-2-0-2) 7-3. But, in spite of the disappointment of losing, the Cavaliers took pride in their gritty performance, as well as their popularity at the Ice Park.
"The crowd on Saturday was probably our biggest crowd ever and we definitely appreciate the fan support and the family support," Kane said.
Also over the weekend, two Cavaliers were given prestigious honors from the DVCHL. Senior defensive player Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli won the DVCHL Defensive Player of the Year Award for her ability to shut down opposing offenses. She also led all defensive players with nine goals, five more than the next highest mark.
"She's very aggressive and has an awesome slap shot and she's basically a wall," sophomore center Eleanor Mullen said. "She stops everybody coming towards her."
Mullen, who came into the playoffs tied for fourth in points with 20 and tied for first in goals with 15, won the DVCHL Most Valuable Player Award.It was a breakout season for Mullen, who earned the "first star" honor at the North-South All-Star Game, played at the Verizon Center in Philadelphia. She helped the South All-Stars win 6-1. Still only a sophomore, she will have two more seasons to lead the Cavaliers to another Spikes Cup trophy.
The Cavaliers will graduate six players at the end of this season, but will look to bounce back in the 2007-2008 season.
"The seniors made a huge impact on this team, and how well we did this season and last season," Mullen said. "They are definitely going to be missed, and we're going to do some heavy recruiting to get ready for next year"
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