By Ashley Pavlakis
Photo credit – Ashley Pavlakis
The Long Island University Women’s Ice Hockey Team hosted Senior Day on Saturday afternoon prior to their matchup with the Franklin Pierce Ravens. The Sharks celebrated their nine seniors and a 100-point milestone for Carrigan Umpherville.
The Sharks are led by third-year head coach Kelly Nash and her all-female staff, which includes Nora McClaine, Sonja Shelly, and Shelly Picard. All four women previously played hockey at the collegiate and professional levels before transitioning to coaching. Uniquely, they all played for the Metropolitan Riveters in the (defunct) Premier Hockey Federation.
Nash was named NEWHA coach of the year in 2024 for her efforts behind the bench. The team is a member of the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) and is a Division I institution for women’s ice hockey. The Sharks currently have a 17-9-3 record with four games left to go in the regular season.
Senior day is always special, but especially at the collegiate level. For the Sharks, they honored six forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender in the pre-game celebration. Four of the nine are considered ‘super seniors’ as they were granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Maggie Culp, Mary Rachel Lenaeus, Ashley Morrow, Sarah Rourke, Jeannie Wallner, Carrigan Umpherville, Anna Fairman, Bri Eid, and Abbie Thompson took to the ice with their family members to celebrate their time in the blue and gold.
Carrigan Umpherville entered the 2024-25 season with 91 career points. From a previous conversation with coach Nash, we learned how excited the squad was to have a fully healthy Umpherville return to the ice this season. On Friday, Umpherville finally hit the 100-point milestone when she scored a goal in the first period versus the Ravens. For good measure, she scored another goal in the second period that would go on to be the game-winner. Umpherville is the last member of the inaugural squad to wear the Sharks crest as this is her final season.
Umpherville is just the second Shark to reach the 100-point mark in program history. Earlier this season, Long Island native, Jeannie Wallner notched the feat with a five-point effort over Franklin Pierce. Wallner netted four goals and one assist in that game to make for an even more memorable moment.
The Sharks had a new goaltender in the crease this season in graduate senior Abbie Thompson. The veteran is not new to college hockey as she spent four years in Minnesota playing at Bemidji State University in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Thompson split time in net with the Beavers, but this season she’s taken on a starting role for the Sharks. The Minnesotan has fit in well on Long Island as she holds an 8-3-1 record in 16 games played this season.
The Sharks sit comfortably in first place, something they have done in four out of six years since their inaugural season in 2019. With three NEWHA championship trophies in the case, they look to add another as the playoffs are right around the corner.
