Pictured last season against Medfield, sophomore defenseman Abby Wayne will serve as an assistant captain this season for DS girls varsity hockey. Photo by Mike Flanagan.
By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Dover-Sherborn varsity girls ice hockey is set to drop the puck on the 2020-2021 season. The Raiders will co-op with Hopkinton, Blackstone Valley Tech and Nipmuc Regional this season.
Despite playing a limited schedule due to COVID-19, as well as having to adjust to new rules instituted by the MIAA to combat the virus, the DS girls look forward to competing together and stringing together some wins.
Four players will lead the Raiders through this unprecedented season; senior goalie and captain Kristin McClusky, senior defenseman and captain Annika Yanoshak, junior right winger and assistant captain Morgan Fraser and sophomore defenseman Abby Wayne.
Wayne, who excelled as a freshman in 2019-2020 and became a key contributor on the back end, says she and her teammates are looking forward to getting the opportunity to compete again and improve their record from last season.
"One of our main goals is to improve our record from last year," said Wayne. "We didn’t have the best record and we didn't qualify for the tournament, which would be a goal this year if it were a normal season, so we can really only can go up from here. We are also really focused on becoming closer as a team and really just having a good time because we are blessed with a season."
New rules such as socially distanced bench areas, no locker rooms and players needing to wear masks at all times will require a significant adjustment. Wayne says that despite the adversity ahead, she and her teammates are just focused on what they can do to become closer as a unit, stay healthy and win hockey games.
"As of right now, there are no locker rooms available at rinks, so we get dressed in the parking lot," said Wayne. "For the moment, this hasn’t been a big issue because it hasn’t been that cold or rainy on our practice days, but as winter grows colder and it starts to snow more I believe we will run into some issues. Our team has been very responsible with mask-wearing and social distancing. We have done some name games and bonding activities outside of the rink after practice to start getting a little closer and to get to know each other better. This is really important to us because we come from so many different schools and towns that it takes a little more to truly become a team. Our team is really looking forward to starting the season; we went through some coaching changes and some school changes, but we hope to make this season even better than the last."
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Instagram and Twitter handles @flano0.
