Goldman wasn't the only one who decided to attend Michigan for the opportunity to continue playing hockey.
“I would say that was the deciding factor,” said Mariana Ceballos, a sophomore from Florida who decided it was worth going to college out of state if she could play hockey.
Jesse Simmer, a senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan, was primarily attracted to the University of Michigan for academic reasons, but he also had to consider hockey as a deciding factor.
“The only college I was considering was Princeton,” Shimer said, “but Princeton only had an NCAA team, so I knew if I went there I'd have to give up hockey.”
Being on a team and having the support of her teammates helps her escape the stress of school. As part of a class project in her electrical engineering program, Simmer helped design a Braille note-taking device and presented it at the campus fair.
“A lot of people from our team came and showed us the posters and the devices,” Simmer said. “We're really grateful that everyone became so close.”
Simmer also found community in the diversity of the team. For the first time in her life, she saw Asian-American and
BIPOC teammates.
“It's really nice to have someone who understands that,” Simmer said.
The Wolverines boast a record of 17 wins, six losses and one tie as of mid-March and are ranked ninth in the nation heading into the 2024 ACHA National Championship Tournament.
“We recognize that our team has one of the most diverse rosters at any level of hockey,” said Jenna Turbiano, head coach of the University of Michigan women's ice hockey team. “In my opinion, that translates to our success on the ice.”
As the only women's ice hockey team on campus (Michigan does not have an NCAA women's program), the Wolverines are role models for the community, committed to giving back and advancing the game of ice hockey.
Recently, several players teamed up at an event in Detroit with Ice Hockey in Harlem, a New York-based organization that works to improve children's social and academic well-being through participation in hockey.
