By Ashley Pavlakis
Photo credit – Ashley Pavlakis
Long Island has been a home for men’s hockey since 1972 when the New York Islanders were born in the NHL. Women’s hockey found a home in 2019 when the Long Island University Sharks established the first Division I women’s ice hockey team on the island.
The Sharks are going into their sixth year as a program and member of the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA). Since they first hit the ice in 2019 as a team largely made up of twenty freshmen, they’ve won the regular season title twice and the postseason conference championship twice. Under the guidance of third-year head coach Kelly Nash, the Sharks are ready to hit the ice again this fall.
“We have a lot of tenure on our team with quite a few seniors, we have a lot of experience in players who have won the NEWHA championship and also part of the team that made it to the NCAA tournament. I definitely think that spark is there and probably even more so out of any of the other years,” said Nash.
Super senior Carrigan Umpherville is back on the ice for the Sharks after sitting out last season due to injury. A healthy Umpherville brings a boost of offense and leadership to the seasoned group of Sharks.
“It’s a major positive, us coaches have been talking about it quite a bit this summer. We’re very excited for her [Umpherville] to return to the ice with us and I know she’s excited as well. She put in so much work last year, all season long, to make sure she got back to being 100% healthy, both physically and mentally,” said Nash.
The Sharks hosted their annual girls’ summer camp last week at their home rink, the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. The summer camp was run by the LIU coaching staff and four current players. Jeannie Wallner, a Long Island native from Kings Park, was on the ice with the girls who ranged from ages 10 to 16.
“It was awesome…We had so much fun. I think before camp started, we had just under thirty girls [registered]. Next year we would love to get to forty or so, that would just be an awesome turnout. We always have our players come back and work it, which I think is really fun,” said Nash.
Wallner, a forward entering her senior year, played prep hockey at Millbrook School in Poughkeepsie. The Sharks entered the collegiate hockey scene two years prior to her high school graduation, providing Wallner an opportunity to play college hockey close to home. Wallner is the second female hockey player from Long Island to wear the LIU crest, with Massapequa native Grace Dima donning it first as a member of the inaugural 2019 team. The two-time team scoring leader is closing in on her 100th career point as a Shark.
“She [Wallner] is so naturally talented. She obviously puts in the work on top of all of that, I think that’s what kind of creates the success she’s had. She’s very humble, she’s a locker room kid, and everyone loves her. She’s been so solid for LIU women’s ice hockey, we love that she’s our local Long Islander,” said Nash.
