When Sara Ugalde was named head coach of her alma mater, Westminster, last April, it seemed like she had plenty of time to prepare for November. Fast forward seven months and the start came quickly.
“We had a really fast start to the season,” Ugalde said. “We were late to the ice before Thanksgiving break. We started tryouts the Monday back, had one practice as a team on Tuesday before playing our first game against St. Marks on Wednesday.”
Westminster won that game, 5-4.
Ugalde graduated from Westminster in 2010. She captained the 2010 Division 1 New England championship team. She went on to have a successful four-year career at Middlebury College. Ugalde went straight into coaching at the collegiate level with stops at Colby College, Williams and Trinity. She was an assistant coach for the Connecticut Whale in the Premier Hockey Federation.
Back at Westminster, Ugalde was not sure what to expect when her new team hit the ice, but she quickly found out.
“It was tough, as I did not know the players and what to expect, and both of our goalies are new to the program as postgraduates,” Ugalde said. “But after the first game, I started to have an idea of what we were going to be, and since then, the team has continued to grow and exceeded my original expectations just in terms of how hard they have worked and battled against strong teams.”
Westminster got off to a 4-0 start heading into the Harrington Tournament, then hit a bump in the road. At the Harrington, Westminster lost to Nobles and Williston Northampton in two close games, then fell to BB&N, 4-1.
“Those two games really impressed me of my team,” Ugalde said of the losses to Nobles and Williston Northampton. “We stayed with teams with deeper benches, and it put the girls in different roles. Our goalie, Shannon Moran, was outstanding in those losses.”
While going 0-3 in the tournament, Ugalde learned a lot about her team.
“I look at the Nobles and Williston losses as great learning experiences and was not disappointed, as they are two of the top teams in New England and we hung with them and played competitive games against those programs. I look at it as only a positive for us going forward,” Ugalde said.
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A big piece of Westminster’s early success has been the program’s structure.
“Our leadership and the culture of the program left by the previous coach (Jess Keough), who did a really good job in finding really great kids both on and off the ice, that has played a huge part in the girls coming together as a team,” Ugalde said. “For me as a coach, the culture aspect is huge, and we have a really great team atmosphere. They are supporting each other and wanting to be successful, not just individually but as a team.”
The captains of the team are Amelia Molin and Hailey Tullo (Southwick, Mass.) and, according to Ugalde, they have been a huge piece of the team’s early success.
“Molin, a center, is so reliable defensively and is such a grinder offensively,” Ugalde said.
Tullo, a senior, has committed to St. Anselm College to play hockey.
“Hailey is a very skilled forward and she has had some success and is a big offensive contributor for us so far this year,” Ugalde said.
Tullo has really focused on being a great leader for the younger players on the team.
“I have been working very hard to be a good captain and leader for our team,” she said. “As a player, I am always striving to be better by consistently putting my best effort forward and learning and growing each day.”
She really likes the team as it moves toward March.
“The combination of commitment, passion and hard work has been a key factor to our success as a team this year,” Tullo said. “Our team is a family, and the care for each other has been fundamental to our success, and we hope to keep that going.”
Moran (Grantham, N.H.), a postgraduate goalie, has committed to UConn to play hockey.
“All I can say is that she has been unbelievable for us,” Ugalde said.
And the drive for the playoffs?
“As we prepare for the playoffs, the team has been working on refining our skills and improving our on-ice chemistry,” Moran said. “While some of our wins have not been the prettiest, I believe that we have done a good job putting in the effort so we can fight to maintain leads, allowing us to have important wins.”
While Moran is new to the program, Tully has been around and seen the transition to Ugalde as bench boss.
“Coach Ugalde made the transition to a new coach smooth and easy for our team right away by being an outstanding coach from the beginning,” Tully said. “Her coaching style and energy have greatly impacted our team. She really cares for each and every one of us in a way that has led to our team’s early success so far.”
Offensively, Westminster has the “Olivia Line,” featuring senior wing Olivia “Liv” Fernandez, junior center Olivia Gordon and junior wing Olivia “Liv” Emerson (St. Johnsbury, Vt.).
On defense, Westminster has relied on senior McKenzie Bloom, junior Alexandra Whalen and freshman Mackenzie Silliman.
“I feel we are a well-rounded team,” Ugalde said. “We do not rely on one superstar. My expectations for all my girls is to work hard all over the ice and be 200-foot players.”
