Dear Prospective Student-Athlete,

I would like to formally introduce you to our program by explaining what it is all about. The mission of the University of Massachusetts Women’s Ice Hockey Program is to provide young women the opportunity to receive a great education and experience college life while playing hockey at the collegiate level.

We are a Division One American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) team that competes in the Eastern Collegiate Women’s Hockey League (ECWHL). The ACHA gives you five years of eligibility when you start at UMass as a freshman. If you transfer from an NCAA institution you start with four years of eligibility minus your time spent at the previous institution.

 As a member of the UMass Women’s Hockey team, you are a student first and a hockey player second with the only exception being the time you are at the hockey rink. Our program is unlike most due to the fact that we practice at night so student-athletes will never miss class for hockey practice. This allows student-athletes to take any major they desire and balance a full course load every semester while being a member of the team. In order to keep your eligibility on our team you will have to maintain a 2.0 grade point average every semester.

The season starts with a meeting in the middle of September. During the third week of September there is fitness testing, two captain’s practices and a tryout. Practice starts the last week of September with a training camp. A typical week after training camp might include an office workout on Monday, a video session Tuesday evening followed by a hour and twenty minute practice, a team meeting Thursday followed by an hour and twenty minute practice, and a game Friday night and Saturday afternoon. You have a week off for Thanksgiving and three weeks off during exams, Christmas and New Years. We have our League Championships the last week in February and the season ends after the National Championships in March.

The type of player we look for is one that has a love for the game of hockey and will give her all to the team whether it is at practice, a game, an off-ice workout session or any other team activity. We have certain qualities that we look for in potential student-athletes including:

• High GPA and test scores
• Exceptional communication skills
• Highly motivated to play the game to the best of your ability
• Demonstrates a positive attitude at all times
• The talent necessary to compete at the collegiate level

Our belief is that hockey exists to be a fun and competitive sport that teaches hard work, sportsmanship, dedication, and team work. These are skills that will translate into the work place upon graduation.

We have several goals that we strive to achieve every season including:

• Team GPA of 3.0 or better
• Have as much fun as possible in a competitive environment
• Get better every day
• Get it done
• Make the ECWHL tournament and advance as far as possible
• Make the National tournament and advance as far as possible

We are building a winning tradition here at UMass and through doing so we will produce a team that will compete for a National championship every season.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the Prospective Student Athlete Questionnaire and email me a schedule of any upcoming games, camps or tournaments you will be participating in. After I receive the questionnaire I will contact you to answer any questions you might have and to set up a campus visit.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you about the University of Massachusetts and our Women's Ice Hockey Program

Thank you,
Coach Cobb