Like the Florida Marlins in 1997 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, the AU Women's Club Ice Hockey team completed the journey from creation to champion in a few short years, winning its first DVCHC Spikes Cup with a 5-4 victory over the University of Delaware. The crown comes exactly 100 games after the team was created six seasons ago in 2000.
After finishing the regular season in second place behind Delaware with an 8-2-0 overall record, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs along with the Blue Hens, the University of Pennsylvania and the defending champion University of Virginia.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Eagles captured a thrilling 5-4 victory over UPenn. The Eagles raced out to an early two-goal advantage thanks to twin first period tallies from sophomore Kaitlin Whitman.
After the Quakers tied the game in the second period, the Eagles scored three more times, including two from senior Alicia Krawitz, to take a commanding 5-2 lead.
UPenn tried to close the gap with two scores in the final minutes but the AU defense held strong for the 5-4 win, sending the team into the championship game.
Facing a team that had handed AU its only two losses of the season, AU found itself down in the second period, 3-2, following a goal by Delaware captain Lindsey DiStefano.
The Eagles struck back on back-to-back goals by freshman Meredith Tomeo, the teams leading scorer during the regular season, to put the Eagles up 5-3 with seven minutes to play.
The Blue Hens would make it a one-goal game with only seconds remaining but once again, the Eagles defense stood strong to capture the team's first league championship.
Coach Bryan Benenati, who has been with the team since its birth in 2000, was very pleased at the way his team has evolved in such a short period of time.
"Basically, it has been a pretty remarkable experience," Benenati said. "The team started off as a bunch of beginners that hadn't seen ice before. The team evolved into a solid crew of girls that know what they want. It's been impressive to watch."
In honor of its championship, the team was invited to appear in the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade to take place on April 14. The team will be wearing its uniforms, as well as carrying the Spikes Cup along the parade route.
Looking ahead to next season, the team looks to defend its title, as well as try to qualify for its first-ever appearance in the National Championships.
"Next season is going to be the most exciting yet with our title defense," Benenati said. "The coaching staff has never been more proud and more satisfied in a team. All the support from the fans and university has finally paid off"
