by Dan Scully
Published December 22nd, 2020
From left to right: Ellie Larson, Tori Haywood, Jordan Marchese, Abby Davies
Back on December 2nd, RIT announced their women’s hockey captains. Three seniors, defender Ellie Larson, forward Tori Haywood, and forward Jordan Marchese, are the captains, with junior forward Abby Davies getting the lone assistant captain position.
Larson, a native of Hutchinson, Minnesota, entered the year having played 100 games for RIT, with 32 points (10G+22A) in her career, the most of any of this year’s Tigers. She has added an assist in the 3 games to start this season. She also served as assistant captain during the Tigers’ 2019-20 campaign. When asked what impact she’d like to have on the team with her captaincy, she said, “My hope is to bring a calm energy to the team dynamic. As a Christian, I play for an audience of one, allowing me to play free no matter the outcome. With this mentality I’m excited to go into battle with my teammates, my family, knowing that as we go for the win on the ice, the ultimate win is in Jesus. As the lone senior on the defense, my goal is to try to lead by example and be encouraging. This year is one marked by constant adjustments and adapting to change. In the midst of lots of unknowns we can control our attitude, effort, and sportsmanship. As a leadership group, if we embody those our team can be set up for success. I’ve been so proud of the way our team has handled setbacks and know that we can continue to be resilient this upcoming second half.”
Haywood, hailing from Pickering, Ontario, was not with the Tigers last season but appeared in 98 games for RIT in 2016-19. In those contests, she recorded 20 points (7+13). During the 2017-18 season, she led the Tigers in faceoff wins and blocked shots, with 288 and 52 respectively. In 3 games this season, she has a goal and an assist. She said of her goal in leading the team this season, “As a captain, I want to have a positive influence on my teammates on the ice, off the ice, and in the classroom. I will be my teammates biggest supporter but will also push them to become the best player they can be. Most importantly to me, I want to make sure my teammates are aware that coming to the rink every day is such a privilege and to never take that for granted! I hope to set a great example for the younger classes behind me as they are the future of this program.”
Marchese, of Mississauga, Ontario, had played 100 games for RIT entering this year. She has 24 points (10+14) in her time as a Tiger. She wants to use her empathy to create a lasting impact on the program: “Being a part of this team and program the last three years, there have been many ups and downs. Playing the highest level of college hockey, it’s expected to be tough and competitive, even within your own team. So as a senior it is imperative that you use those past struggles and triumphs as a way to help the players under you, and hope that once they are seniors, they continue and pass it on to the next group, which in-turn creates an empathetic culture. Though it is a competitive environment, as much as it is important to work hard, it is important to empathize for your teammates. A teammate’s ups and downs will not only be about hockey, but also about school, in their social lives and their family life, so by being an empathetic teammate and one to offer a helpful hand or ear, you only make your teammate and team stronger. In saying that, I want to leave the impact of being an empathetic teammate, one who has been through tough times and can understand the struggles another teammate might be going through, to hopefully start a culture where you put your teammates above yourself.”
Davies, from Ashton, Ontario, led RIT in scoring last season with 22 points, good for 14th in the conference, including a team-high 12 assists. Her 10 goals placed her 9th on the conference goal leaderboard. She said, “With my captaincy this season I plan on leading by example both on & off the ice. I want to be supportive of my teammates while also motivating them with positive energy to be the best version of themselves.”
If these four players have the same leadership abilities off the ice as they have on it, they will create a phenomenal environment for their team to grow. It’s not hard to imagine that they do. Pay close attention to them next time the Tigers hit the ice, whenever that may be.
Stay tuned to the RIT women’s hockey Twitter and Instagram accounts as well as RITAthletics.com for updates on the team’s schedule.
Statistics and photos obtained from RITAthletics.com
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