By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
The 2025-2026 Women’s Hockey Team and Coaches – Photo by Grace Malec
After losing Head Coach Matthew Bland who had previously led the Women’s Hockey team, playing with a team of only 13 members and battling through the 2024-2025 season with a 3-20 record, a new era was needed for Aquinas Women’s Hockey.
Following the departure of Bland, the athletic department and Women’s Hockey team announced the hiring of new Head Coach, Emma Hoch who would lead the team alongside Assistant Coach, Alyssa Exline, an alumni of the Women’s Hockey team.
The hiring of Hoch was a turning point for Aquinas Women’s Hockey. The program brought in a freshman class of nine, with only seven veterans on the team. With a young team, there was a lot of work cut out for all members.
“With our team being half freshman, we’ve had a tremendous battle to start the season,” Hoch said. “We’ve fought hard for everything we’ve gotten so far and continue to have the grit and desire to win. The team continues to grow and learn as we go. We progress and get better every practice and game we have. Once we get through some injuries and get all our girls on the ice, we’ll be able to play a completely different game against our opponents. We only go up from here.”
The 2025-2026 Freshman Class – Photo by Grace Malec
The team currently holds a record of 1-8, after playing many tough games against strong opponents. Starting the season against the Davenport University Panthers, the Saints split the series; losing 2-4 during their season opener and coming back to win in overtime 2-1 in a shootout.
After finding their confidence from their win against Davenport, the team was faced with difficult series that they would battle through. Their schedule brought hard losses from opponents such as Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University, the University of Michigan and University of Michigan-Dearborn.
“As a young team, with more than half of our team being freshmen, we are finding our rhythm against competitive teams,” senior Kate Kramm said. “We are growing and getting better each day.”
Goal Tender Izzy Buckett makes a save – Photo by Grace Malec
With the rest of the season ahead, the team has their sights set on improving their game. With a team full of new talent and passion, the potential for the Saints to show out only continues to grow.
“There’s been a few bumps in the road, there always will be, but being a part of this process is a blessing, spending almost everyday with these girls is amazing and it has made every part of my college experience easier to get through,” senior Goaltender for the Saints Izzy Buckett said. “Having a team of mostly freshmen can be a tough dynamic for some teams but for me I’ve really enjoyed it, just being around them and everyone else. It took me transferring twice for me to truly enjoy every aspect and I’m glad it’s with Aquinas. I can truly see the improvement with every ice time.”
The Saints continue their season with upcoming games on Oct. 24 in Ypsilanti and Oct. 25 at Southside Ice Arena as they play Eastern Michigan.
The Saint 