According to senior Lane Dielwart and the rest of the 2005 women’s hockey senior class, it is wise to watch out for “snipers in section 16” of the Houston Field House. Dielwart, Paula Durham, Meredith Langille, Bridget Rice, Julie Vallarelli, and co-captains Allie Cooper and Sondra Sherman, compose a graduating class that enjoyed reflecting on the moment the sniper first struck.
“[It was] the worst practice of my life, but happened to be the funniest too,” recalled Dielwart of the time when during a drill sophomore year, former coach Bill Cahill wound up to shoot the puck into the corner but instead hit Dielwart in the back of the leg. Dielwart fell over like “a sack of bricks.” Cahill skated over to her and said, “You’re all right, skate it off, skate it off.” All the while Dielwart was looking up at him trying not to cry because “my leg was on fire.”
Later, during that same practice, Dielwart took a slap shot from the point and hit Jen Onksen in the leg, the same way Dielwart had been hit earlier. Cahill skated up to her again and commented, “Ah, Lana, it’s a good thing you don’t have a hard shot cause otherwise that would have been a disaster.”
Dielwart has never allowed to forget this practice either because from that day on anytime she, or her teammates, took a dive on the ice, it was because of the “snipers in section 16.”
This is just one of the many fond memories the seven seniors have experienced during their careers here at RPI. These memories and the commitment these ladies put into the program have helped pave the way for the move to Division I next year.
The seven seniors were recruited on the premise that they would play two years at the D-III level and two years at the D-I level, however, this promise never became a reality. Due to the NCAA proposal that would take away RPI’s power to grant athletic scholarships, the women’s hockey team’s transition to D-I was delayed, but this letdown neither hampered the spirits nor the work ethic of the 2005 class.
“I have no regrets,” Cooper said of missing out on playing at the D-I level. “These last four years have been unbelievable. I mean when you know you give it everything you’ve got every single day, you can’t possible regret it.” Rice agreed with her co-captain, saying after just one year playing D-III she was content.
Nevertheless, the seniors admitted they are disappointed they will not be here for the Engineers’ ascension to D-I. “We’re jealous we will not be a part of it because all of us were told we would,” Dielwart admitted, but also stated “being at the top of Division III” was fun.
And while the seniors are disappointed they may be leaving the program before it fully rises to the tops of college hockey, they are excited about the impact they have left. The seniors began a new tradition in the women’s hockey program, where commitment and team cohesion was pushed beyond its previous bounds.
Cooper said the underclassmen saw this year’s class as “role models” for multiple reasons. These seven athletes brought dedication, motivation, and some fun to the program, attributes that have not escaped the remaining players. “A lot of the [underclassmen] have come up to us and said, ‘I don’t know what we are going to do without you next year,’” Rice said. Well, one thing they certainly won’t be doing is searching for the senior’s cars.
When asked to describe the best practical joke ever committed by the seniors, the seven openly admitted the finest prank in their careers was actually committed against them. Two years ago the freshmen class, today’s junior class, successfully found all their cars and covered them in saran wrap, even taking the time to wrap the bottom of Cooper’s Jeep, which at the time was parked downtown. Another time the men’s hockey team stole Vallarelli’s car. The juniors tried to help find it by looking underneath other parked cars, but Blake Pickett suggested, “If I were your car I would check the Bray parking lot,” while holding Vallarelli’s keys.
While this class has certainly laughed together, they have also cried together, more than they would like to admit. The week following the sudden death of former Head Coach Bill Cahill will be etched in their minds forever. “That whole week was just a huge blur,” Copper said. “I don’t think we want to admit it, but the wake and the funeral might be our most memorable moment here.” Many of the senior class admitted they came to RPI because of Cahill, so losing a man many considered to be their second father was a painful experience.
Sadly, Cahill’s sudden departure in 2002 was not the last heartbreak the senior class would suffer, as Rensselaer was declared ineligible for the NCAA Tournament prior to this season. “When coach told us, it was a kick in the teeth,” Sherman said. “I told [Cahill] if I played D-III, I wanted to win him a championship.” The seniors also admitted their biggest frustration over the years was their inability to beat Manhattanville and earn an ECAC Championship. But these experiences aided the class’s growth as hockey players and as people.
As the 2005 graduating class prepares to move on from Rensselaer, they leave the school they have come to love with heavy hearts. They came to RPI as individuals and will leave as a family. And while they may all go in separate directions, a part of them will remain in Troy forever, according to Sherman, “We will leave behind our hearts.”
