By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
Sophomore goaltender for the Women’s Hockey team, Rieley Jessie-Gerelli, has been named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Goaltender of the Week for the second consecutive week. In the first two weeks of Western New England University’s inaugural Women’s Ice Hockey season, Jessie-Gerelli has made a name for herself not only on her team, but in the entire Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Jessie-Gerelli, from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, and a graduate of the Pomfret School, studies Criminal Justice at our University. So far, she has started four games and has racked up 240 minutes on the ice this season. She has only seven goals against her and has 150 saves in five games, totaling an impressive save percentage of .955.
“I started playing hockey when I was three,” says Jessie-Gerelli. “I automatically fell in love with the sport.” She began playing goalie when she was eight, and the rest is history.
Since coming to Western New England University as a student last year, Jessie-Gerelli has not only continued her love of hockey, but she has developed a love for our University as well. This love has grown with the help of the Women’s Ice Hockey Coach, coach Katie Zimmerman.
“Coach Zim was what made me fall in love with WNE,” states Jessie-Gerelli. “Her spirit and care about the school and the success of the team, as well as her passion for the sport of hockey. That’s what led me to falling in love with WNE.”
Not only does Jessie-Gerelli’s success as a hockey player make being a part of the team a good experience, but she also loves the chemistry and camaraderie of her team.
“My favorite part is seeing how close of a team we are,” she says, “Hockey is known to be the sport where teams are together the longest. With the travel and the gear and the locker room, we’re together almost 24/7. But we are still so tight knit because we want to prove to people our program might be brand new, but that’s not gonna stop us from trying to get as far as possible.”
The star goalie sees the team’s success in their first few games as something that is not only going to continue through the season, but it is going to grow even stronger through the rest of the season. They have high hopes for their future.
“I’m looking forward to playoff time,” declares Jessie-Gerelli. “The stress and passion of the sport makes those few weeks and days so much more amazing. The games get more intense. The stakes are higher. Especially because we’re a new team.”
“We want to go all the way!”
The Women’s Ice Hockey team currently has a record of 3-1-1 following a 4-4 tie against Worcester State University on Saturday, November 13. They’re currently ranked fifth out of seventh in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with a conference record of 1-1. They’ll be going head-to-head against Endicott College this upcoming weekend, November 20-21, at Raymond J. Bourque Arena and Olympia Ice Center, respectively.
For more statistics, news, and up to date information on the Women’s Ice Hockey team, visit wnegoldenbears.com/sports/wice.
