Rowan’s Women’s Ice Hockey team is the first club ice hockey team from the University to ever be heading to a national championship. There are twelve Division II teams traveling to Texas from March 21st to the 31st to try and win the title. Sophomore Goalie, Emily Render, spoke out on her feeling about this huge accomplishment.
How did you start playing hockey, and how long have you been playing for? When I was little my two older brothers played, and I would always want to play with them like in the backyard. I was like the annoying little sister and they would only let me play with them if I was goalie. So I would dress up and everything, they would shoot on me and then I started going to all of their games and it just really influenced me to want to actually play the sport, too. I ended being really good and skating and everything, and I was officially on a team around the time I was nine or ten.
What made you want to play for Rowan University? I played for the Montclair Club team growing up and after one of my games, the Rowan Hockey coach was actually there recruiting another girl. He saw that I was pretty good, so then he came up to me after the game and he asked if I was interested in coming to Rowan. And at the time I had already been looking at the school. And the mix of good coaches, the atmosphere I got from the hockey program, and just the school in general, my major and everything, I did not want to go anywhere else, and now I am really glad I didn’t.
How do you feel being the first club hockey team, men’s or women’s, to be attending Nationals? It is so exciting for me. And to think that we have only been a program for 6 years, I don’t even think a lot of people knew we even had a women’s Ice Hockey team so now it is really exciting that we are getting our name out there. Whether we win or loose, I think it is just going to be an amazing opportunity to go to Texas and just show people what we can do. We can prove were not some stupid team and prove how hard we work.
In the two years since you have been here, have you seen any changes in the program? Definitely. The coaches have been really recruiting like really good girls which helps build a better team. It started last year with me and the other two freshman, and now we do a lot more dry land training and a lot more team bonding thins and it has just helped the team grow. It is just such a good opportunity and I can not wait to see what we do by the time I am a graduating senior.
she's got game. 