The Springfield College women’s ice hockey club team made history this season, securing a spot at the AAU College Hockey Nationals and finishing third in the nation.
Head Coach Tom Verrico, who has been with the team since its inception six years ago, has witnessed the program’s rapid growth and increasing recognition on the national stage.
Their journey to nationals was highlighted by a pivotal moment in the AAU North Playoffs, where the Pride shocked the reigning national champions, Paul Smith College, with a dominant 6-2 victory in the semifinals. This win not only dethroned the defending champions but also earned Springfield a place in the league championship and punched its ticket to nationals. This was the first time in program history that Springfield defeated Paul Smith, making the victory even more special.
“We lost to Paul Smith in the playoffs last year in overtime,” Verrico said. “This is the first time ever that we’ve beaten Paul Smith as a women’s hockey team, so that gave us another historic thing that we did this year. At the beginning of the year, I told the team the goal was for nationals, and we made it.”
Before heading into the playoffs, the Pride concluded the regular season with a 5-0 win against Union College, locking in the No. 3 seed. Goaltender Kat Gilbert, who was Verrico’s first recruit, had a key role in the victory, playing the first two periods and earning a shutout to cap off the regular season.
Despite falling to Syracuse 6-1 in the AAU North Championship game, the Pride carried their momentum to Jacksonville, Fla., for nationals. Competing in the round-robin format, they faced Syracuse, the University of Tampa and the University of Alabama.
“It wasn’t so much about the pressure to win, especially since it was our first time at nationals,” Gilbert said. “We’ve played Syracuse before, but we didn’t know what to expect with Alabama and Tampa. It was mostly just us excited to be there and to experience it as a team together.”
Springfield’s final game against Alabama was the tournament’s standout moment. The Pride emerged victorious with a 6-5 win, claiming third in the nation.
“It was a very intense game,” Gilbert said. “It was also my last game, career-wise. That made it extra special. The game was stressful, though, especially since we were tied 5-5 going into the third. We didn’t really want to go into overtime.”
Gilbert’s role as both a starting goalie and a captain was important throughout the tournament, and she recalled one moment with a smile. “They did interviews after the games, and I thought that was really cool,” she said. “I had never done anything like that before, especially as a goalie. But as a captain, it was a great experience to be a part of those interviews.”
A standout performer throughout the tournament was second-year graduate defender Elia Burbridge, whose strong defensive presence and offensive contributions – two goals and two assists – earned her AAU National Championship Women’s All-Tournament First Team honors.
Beyond their on-ice success, team chemistry played a pivotal role in the Pride’s journey. The team returned to campus early from winter break for an intense training period, which Verrico identified as a turning point.
“We come back early every year during winter break, about four or five days early, and all we do is focus on hockey,” Verrico said. “We learned some new systems, and I think that helped us play really good hockey towards the end of the season.”
A significant development for the program this season was the establishment of a co-op agreement with Westfield State, which provided Springfield with additional depth.
“Next year will be a rebuilding year,” Verrico said. “I’m graduating a lot of my grad students and seniors, but we’re hopeful to bring in our largest class of recruits… We’re in a national spotlight now, and players know they can come to Springfield College and be in an elite program.”
Photo courtesy of Ella Travaglino