NEWARK, Del. (WPVI) — For the first time ever, the puck has dropped for women’s ice hockey at the University of Delaware. It’s the inaugural season for the newest team in town.
“Knowing that what we do this year is the foundation for years to come, we’ve been really focused on knowing our core values, being really tight as a team and just not getting down on each other when things might get hard,” said goaltender Mattie Robitzer.
The program earned its first-ever win on Oct. 5 against Holy Cross – a historic moment for the team.
“If anyone said, ‘Are you going to win one in your first four games?’ I don’t know if we thought that would be possible,” said head coach Allison Coomey. “Our players played like veterans that day, and that was really cool to see. Now we know what our standard is.”
Seventeen freshmen make up the 22-player roster – the most of any women’s college hockey team in the country. So they’re young and they haven’t played much hockey together, but it’s these players that will set the foundation for the program for years to come.
“They been really really adaptive and so eager to learn. So, it’s been really fun. And honestly, a lot easier of a process than I expected it to be,” said Robitzer.
“We get to set the standard, and we know we were all brought here for a reason,” said forward Danica Mark. “We look back on all the experiences we’ve had and ask, ‘OK, how can we make this the best culture possible, and how can we establish a strong program?'”
Robitzer added, “We just focus on sticking to our game. We don’t focus too much on video of our opponents. We focus on ourselves – sticking to our systems, playing our style of hockey. We have kind of an underdog mentality, like nothing to lose. So why not just go leave it all out there?”
In a world where hockey isn’t the most accessible sport for young girls, Delaware is helping pave the way.
“I think just the ability to see it creates an opportunity for them that they maybe didn’t have before,” Coomey said.
Under Coach Coomey, this is just the beginning.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
