[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 67 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E939-E940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         TRIBUTE TO ST. MARK'S WOMEN'S VARSITY ICE HOCKEY TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 1998

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to report to the House on a 
remarkable achievement--namely, the 1997-98 championship season of the 
St. Mark's Women's Varsity Ice Hockey Team. The St. Mark's Lions are 
based in Southborough, Massachusetts.
  Each of these players are talented young student-athletes who trained 
hard, practiced hard and played hard throughout their amazing year. I 
know their families and friends are as proud of the Lions as I am. On 
behalf of the citizens of Central Massachusetts, I congratulate the St. 
Mark's Lions for a job very well done.
  The team members are:


                                      ST. MARK'S GIRLS HOCKEY TEAM 1997-87
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  No.                    Position   Year             Name                      Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3......................................        D    1998  Hilary Zwerdling..........  Shrewsbury, MA
4......................................        F    2000  Gretchen Anderson.........  Wellesley, MA
5......................................        F    1998  Emily Harris..............  Greenwich, CT
6......................................        D    2000  Kristen Larsen............  Dover, MA
10.....................................        F    2001  Amy McNaught..............  Gorham, ME
11.....................................        D    1998  Marcia Ingraham...........  Georgetown, MA
12.....................................        F    1999  Catherine Larsen..........  Dover, MA
13.....................................        D    2000  Emily Amorello............  Worcester, MA
15.....................................        F    1999  Sarah Fairchild...........  Pawtucket, RI
16.....................................        F    1998  Hailey Sullivan...........  Carlisle, MA
18.....................................        D    2000  Kristina Tois.............  Grafton, MA
20.....................................        F    1998  Mellissa Yokell...........  Atkinson, NH
21.....................................        F    1998  Maura Crowell.............  Mansfield, MA
29.....................................        G    1999  Melissa Glaser............  rockford, IL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coaches: Wendy Cofran, Dana Pullman.
Captains: Maura Crowell '98, Hilary Zwerdling '09.
Manager: Heather Bates '00.


  A recent article in the St. Mark's School newspaper brings to life 
their championship season and the wonderful team of young women who 
enjoyed this terrific experience:

                  [From the St. Marker, May 13, 1998]

                Girls' Ice Hockey Wins The New Englands!

              (By Assistant Editor Allison Loretnzen '99)

       On Sunday March 8, another amazing group of St. Mark's 
     women hockey players captured the title New England 
     Champions. Just four months after the Varsity Field Hockey 
     team beat Cushing for the Class B NEPSAC title, the Varsity 
     Ice Hockey team has the pleasure of crushing Middlesex in a 
     3-0 victory to earn the Division 2 Championship.
       At the beginning of the season, the team, with a new 
     coaching staff, was focused on regaining respect from the 
     other ISL teams and hadn't thought ahead too much to the 
     possibility of such a successful post-season. In past years, 
     the St. Mark's team, with players such as Wendy Hall, Laurie 
     Belliveau, and Erin Magee, was feared by their league 
     opponents, as they were league champions in '92, '93 (co-
     champs), and '94 (co-champs). Maura Crowell made the team in 
     the '94-'95 season as a third former and played with some of 
     the women who developed this tradition of excellence. 
     Experiencing the thrill of playing for such an awesome team, 
     Cromwell looked forward to her next three years as a varsity 
     player; but with the arrival of two new coaches in her fourth 
     form year, she, along with new-comers Hilary Zwerdling, 
     Marcia Ingraham, Melissa Yokell and Emily Harris, suffered 
     through two disappointing seasons. After two seasons well 
     under .500, another change was called for in the coaching 
     staff.
       Under the direction of head coach Wendy Cofran and her 
     assistant, Dana Pullman, this year's team trained harder than 
     in the past two years and collected many more wins for their 
     efforts. Capturing their Holiday Tournament gave them 
     confidence and hope for more victories later in the season. 
     These victories did come, including a nail-biting, overtime 
     3-2 win over St. Paul's down in New York City. As the regular 
     season was drawing to a close St. Mark's rolled by Portsmouth 
     Abbey, Brooks, and BB&N. After handling Groton 6-2, the team 
     clinched a place in the New England Tournament.
       With an undefeated record in their division, the team, 
     seeded first, was matched up against fourth seed Greenwich 
     Country Day and had a week of practice to prepare for the 
     semifinal game on March 7 at Cushing Academy. As St. Markers 
     put away their squash racquets, basketballs, and ice skates 
     and dusted off their lacrosse sticks, baseball gloves, and 
     tennis racquets, the Women's Varsity Ice Hockey Team, led by 
     two year co-captains Maura Cromwell and Hilary Zwerdling, 
     laced up their skates for a final week, perfecting power 
     plays and strengthening slap shots. After leading the school 
     in a

[[Page E940]]

     unique cheer, they departed for the western Mass mecca of ice 
     hockey, Cushing Academy. Greenwich, no match for the women of 
     St. Mark's, skated off the Cushing rink 2-0 losers, leaving 
     the Lions to face Middlesex on Sunday for the New England 
     Championship.
       St. Mark's came to the game having played Middlesex once 
     during the regular season, beating the Zebra's 2-1, and they 
     knew that it would be an exciting game. From the face off, 
     St. Mark's controlled the puck and frustrated Middlesex with 
     their solid defense, held together by their spectacular 
     goalie Melissa Glaser, who simply would not let the puck into 
     her net. Every attempt made by the Zebras was foiled by 
     Glaser and her defense, which consisted of only three 
     players--Zwerdling, Ingraham, and Kirsten Larsen--who had to 
     play double shifts for the entire game. At the other end of 
     the rink. St. Mark's offense kept up a relentless attack on 
     the Middlesex's goalie. In the first period, the Lions scored 
     twice: first on a tip-in by Gretchen Anderson from a Crowell 
     slap shot, and again on a break away by Amy McNaught. St. 
     Mark's skated off the ice after the period up 2-0, knowing 
     that if they continued their offensive pressure and held back 
     Middlesex they could win the game and the New England 
     Championship. Another Anderson goal assisted by Crowell, 
     during a Middlesex power play, along with many sensational 
     saves by Glaser and her dependable defense, gave the Lions a 
     3-0 lead at the end of the second period. As Middlesex skated 
     onto the ice before the third period, they were preparing for 
     another fifteen minutes of offensive frustration. As the 
     clock rolled down to 11.6 seconds and Glaser caught a flying 
     Middlesex slap shot, the St. Mark's team seemed to spectators 
     to win the New England's as easily as Glaser snatched that 
     puck into her glove.
       Winning the Division 2 New England Prep School ice Hockey 
     Championship culminates a season that brought back the 
     respect St. Mark's women's ice hockey held in the early 
     nineties. With eight experienced players and two aggressive 
     coaches returning for the `98-99 season, expect the team to 
     reunite next year as a might force in the ISL and all of New 
     England.

     

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