There was a moment during the Suffolk University women’s hockey team’s first-ever game last fall when Taylor Wasylk knew coaching the team was going to be special.
“I was a complete nut case in that game — I was so overly emotional and overexcited,” said Wasylk a year later. “The emotions were all over the map. But a couple minutes into the game Tess Adams came off the ice. She was a senior transfer from SUNY Canton, where I had coached before. She looked at me and she said, ‘Coach, I feel like I’m playing in the Stanley Cup Final right now.’ ”
Suffolk might have lost that game against Nichols but soon hit its stride, finishing 15-9-2 and playing in the NEHC playoffs. The team also had the league’s Rookie of the Year, forward Shana Cote. Now this fall, the Rams find themselves ranked second in the preseason league poll, right against Division 3 powerhouse Norwich. The team believes it has the talent to be there — while having a whole lot of fun in the process.
“Second is where I expected us to be, so I wasn’t surprised to see us there,” said Wasylk. “But at the same time, maybe I was a little surprised that everyone else was on the same page as us. I think that just speaks to the talent of our incoming players. (Other coaches) respected our recruiting class and think they’re going to come in and push us over the top and make us better.”
Recruiting has been one of the surprising aspects of taking the Rams’ reins for Wasylk, who was hired to build the program from scratch in 2016 after two years as an assistant at SUNY Canton and a year at UMass Boston. Suffolk University’s unique geographic setting, with its campus buildings set within the hub of Massachusetts politics, business and culture, proved to be a giant draw even though the program hadn’t even dropped the puck.
“I know that teenage girls love Boston,” said Wasylk, who grew up in Port Huron, Mich., and played collegiately at Boston College. “They love the big city. And we are the only Division 3 hockey team that’s actually in the downtown area. Everyone else is kind of near big cities, but they are a train ride or an hour away. But I didn’t know the level of kids that would like it. I was pretty surprised that so many high-end recruits came on visits. Whether they ended up coming or not, I think getting them on campus was huge. I was surprised by the talents of the kids that wanted to come visit right off the bat when the roster was still empty.”
Another boon for the program’s first season was the performance of Cote. The Colorado native had eight goals and 17 assists during her freshman year. In the early part of her sophomore season, she has barely lost a stride, leading the Rams in goals and points.
“She is one of those kids who doesn’t ask for anything,” said Wasylk. “There is no job too small, no job too big for her. If you want her to PK, she will, even if she’s unsure if she’s good at it. If you want her to stay in front of the net, she will, even though she’s tiny. She’s 5-1, but she plays like she’s 5-10. She is a beast. She doesn’t get pushed around. People try to initiate contact with her and they actually fall down because they can’t handle it.”
Cote also is game for trying new training exercises and plays. “She will try anything new,” said Wasylk. “I’ll find something on the Internet and I’ll shoot her a text and say, ‘Can we try this tomorrow?’ She goes, ‘Yep. What time?’ ”
Suffolk, which has five New England natives on the roster, also boasts a strong goaltending rotation. Returner Kristen Caporusso had a .929 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average last season, and newcomer Julia McLellan has come in to push her in practice while getting some important college-level experience.
“She actually has not been in the net for a win, and I don’t know how the poor kid hasn’t,” said Wasylk. “She’s working very hard. She just wants it and she’s pushing Kristen in practice. She’s pushing her to be better. So although she hasn’t been on the scoresheet for a win yet, she’s making our team better just by being here.”
Though losses don’t come often, Wasylk makes sure the Rams rebound after each one. Her players have a lot of input in their training.
“I try to communicate with them as much as possible and just see what they need for that day,” said Wasylk. “Do we need a day off? Do we need to take it easy and lift today? I found that when I was playing, it was like, ‘This is what we’re doing.’ There were no questions, whereas I try to communicate a little more. I don’t know how the kids are feeling. I feel like no one ever asked me if I was sore or if I was tired. So I try to communicate with them.”
There is an openness on the new Suffolk squad that creates a team that is strong both on and off the ice. Wasylk thinks establishing the program with this type of energy will only lead to success moving forward.
“There were a few moments last year that were a big eye-opener,” said Wasylk. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is a team that can really do this.’ We can win our conference. We can beat Norwich, whether it’s this year, whether it’s next year, or the year after.
Looking back, there were quite a few things where I thought, ‘OK, this is this is the team I want to be with.’ ”
