In his first year as head coach of the St. Olaf Women's Hockey team, Tom Osiecki knew what he was getting into. He knew that turning a club sport into a contender in the MIAC was going to be a challenging task. But he also knew that the rewards of hard work and effort would be sweetness, even if there was no conference title. And the Ole Women responded in nice fashion.

Being their first year as a varsity sport, senior co-captions Nadia Nickerson and Leslie Taylor knew they had to get their troops fired up. They knew the first year was going to be the toughest mentally and physically. But they were not about to stop what they started only three short years ago.

On December 12, they realized their dream, beating Hamline University 5-4 for their first win of the season and their first victory as a varsity sport. It was a shining moment for them, especially the senior players as they brought to life their hard work and effort.

The Ole women would get a pair of victories over Carleton, 8-0 and 4-0, to cap off the season at 3-20. But they made it abundantly clear that their record will improve as the years go by and the team molds together. Coach Osiecki said that with the hard work and effort that the team put in this year, next year's squad will drastically improve if they exert the same amount of dedication shown by this team.

Unlike the other MIAC teams, the Oles played with only two or three lines the entire season, which for the team was very hard to manage. As a result of this, injuries started to catch up with them and fatigue was a problem in games. But they were not about to throw in the towel.

The team fought their way through their problems and hardships and made it through their first MIAC season. With the interest growing in women's hockey and with the help of some incoming recruits, the Oles should be right in the middle of the pack next season as they face-off for the programs sophomore year.

Some key returning players include sophomores Sarah Ray and Anne Whipple, who hope to lead the Ole Women next year. Even though they lose the dedication and leadership of Nickerson and Taylor, the vision that they had will always linger in the back of these players minds. They will always appreciate the effort their predecessors have laid before them. They will always know that with dedication and effort, they will make these visions into reality, no matter how small the team or how tough the conference.

As the St. Olaf women's hockey program embarks on their second season, they know that anything is possible. With the help of Coach Osiecki and the dedication of the players, the MIAC playoffs are right around the corner. And so ends the first year of Women's Varsity Hockey at St. Olaf.