(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
As the second season of Arizona State women’s club ice hockey nears the end, the program will be sending off its first-ever graduating class on Saturday night.
The group consists of four women. Four captains.
These women have put in blood, sweat and tears to help raise a brand-new team from the beginning. Whether it be their play on the ice or the leadership each has provided off the ice, they will always be considered the start of something bigger.
Katelyn “KC” McGinley, Taylor England, Amber Galles and Dannika Borges came into the unknown when each of them joined the roster of a program just getting started. Little did they know that their impact on the culture and growth of the program would be so vital.
“Everything that they have put into this program is tremendous,” head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “A lot of them we recruited or got early on, so they knew they were going to be with this program and they all have a long hockey history and so much passion for the game.”
The captain group has combined for almost 65 percent of ASU’s player points over the last two seasons. The program will be losing a major piece to the puzzle when these four women have to move on.
“On-ice, we can always count on them,” junior defenseman Madison Quiñonez said. “They’re some of the best skaters and players on this team. We’re definitely going to miss them, that’s for sure.”
One of the biggest impacts they made was with how they helped the program grow from its inaugural campaign to their second season.
“Last year was a tough year for us bonding as a team,” Quiñonez said. “I think they really stepped it up this year and made us come together this year. I think you see that a lot in our play too, that we know each other more, we talk to each other more. Off-ice too, there is a better connection. They do a really good job of bringing us together as a team.”
But the class has brought so much to the table despite having such a short amount of time to do so.
Senior defenseman McGinley, the first recruit in the program’s history, has created a positive atmosphere for the team with her attitude and leadership. The Arizona-native carries a big stick and teammates know she walks it like she talks it.
“I think the four of us had a really amazing opportunity to start up this program and hopefully once we are gone, they can feed off of it,” McGinley said. “But we have all significantly put up points on the scoreboard, brought the hype and kept it positive so it’s been a group effort to get to where we are right now. I definitely think it took all four of us.”
McGinley has led the way this season with 16 points. The captain has earned 20 total points in her career as a Sun Devil.
“There has not been one game in these past two years where these three have not given it 100%,” McGinley said about her graduating teammates. “It is awesome that they give everything and then that pumps me up to give everything.”
England is as much of a hometown girl as anyone could be, as she hails from Tempe. The forward is credited by Ellis for always working hard at practice. The team counts on England to get big goals when they matter most. England also recorded the program’s first short-handed goal.
“We have definitely set the tone,” England said about the graduating class. “We are role models from here on out. A lot of people look up to us, even younger girls. And I think that after we leave, the program is just going to get better and better.”
The junior will be graduating early after sorting out her academic credits to fast track her schooling. England explained it was not anything about hockey, but rather wanting to finish school to move on with her career.
Galles has been a major goal-scorer for the Sun Devils. The senior forward led the team in goals in the program’s inaugural season and has done the same so far this year.
“We each bring something different so it’s kind of nice to start off the team,” Galles said. “I didn’t know any of these girls when I came out here to play. Starting that off last year and continuing to build the relationship between these three and the rest of the team means so much. Hopefully the bonding can continue, increase and improve throughout the rest of ASU women’s hockey lifetime.”
The Minnesota-native left her mark on the record books when she scored the first goal in program history and achieved the first-ever hat trick for ASU women’s club ice hockey. Galles will always be recognized for her ability to fill up the stat sheet and bring aggressiveness and teamwork to every game and practice.
Borges, a senior two-way player, was unsure if she would even get to finish the season with ASU this year. After discovering she was eligible to continue playing this semester, it became even more bittersweet.
“It makes it really hard because I play for this team, I play for them,” Borges said about moving on. “I love seeing the passion and the effort that they have put in, so it just makes me want to continue that. Going out with the top members of the team makes me happy because I am not alone. I am going out with my friends, the best of them.”
The team attests to Borges’ passion on the ice and how she is such a crucial part of the team with her physicality and aggressiveness.
However, there comes a time where all good things must come to an end. After sharing connections, fun road trips, bonding and playing pranks on coach for two seasons, these four women will be celebrating their final home game as Sun Devils on Saturday night.
Despite the four of them having to graduate, they are looking to make the most of the final stretch of the season. It is still possible for ASU to make the playoffs with wins over the University of Denver in this weekend’s series.
“If we beat them, then we’re in playoffs and it continues on for a little bit longer,” Borges said.
ASU women’s club ice hockey is losing an irreplaceable group of women. But the future is bright as the program is set to have nine new recruits come in for its third season.
“I think it will definitely be a test at the beginning of next season just because they have had the same four leaders and captains for two years in a row,” Ellis said. “Next year, we are going to have more new players than old, so we are just going to try to figure out how to become competitive with the top teams.”
Whatever happens this weekend and the rest of the season, history has already been written. These four captains have created a legacy that will stand for a lifetime.
“The skill level and where they are at as leaders has built the base of this program for years and years to come,” Ellis said. “I hope that in 5-10 years when they come back to a random game, they will be able to say, ‘I started that, look where it is now’. I hope they realize one day how much they put into it and how much us as a coaching staff really appreciate those four individuals.”
ASU begins this weekend’s series against Denver on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. MT. Senior Night will be Saturday’s game at 6:30 p.m. MT, both at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe.
