Wildcat hockey team prioritizes mental health, team values and hard work to achieve MIAC championship goals
Cover image credit: St. Kate’s hockey team
By Ella Tracy
The St. Kate’s hockey team kicked off an ambitious season the week of Monday, Oct. 9. The team played in two exhibition games over the weekend. The first official series of games against other Division III teams begins Friday, Oct. 27.
The team began the year with seven new teammates and a hunger to qualify for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship playoffs. The team was a few points away from playoffs last season and plans to “enjoy the process while doing the little things on a daily basis to get to where we want to be in the MIAC playoffs,” said assistant coach Kayla Chilstrom. New recruits must acclimate to the higher competition level of collegiate hockey as the team seeks to secure their place in the playoffs.
To further set the stage for a successful season, the team created a set of core values. Players submitted and voted on the values they thought would be most important for the team. They settled on respect, accountability, commitment, grit and positivity. Chilstrom emphasized that the players chose the values themselves. “The coaching staff wanted the players to have a say in what kind of culture they wanted to create so they can leave a footprint in it,” she said. “Once they graduate, they’re [still] going to be a big part of this hockey program.”
When they aren’t on the ice, the hockey team places tremendous value in team building, volunteering and mental health care. Assistant captain Joslin Mumm ‘24 (Nursing) said, “Over the summer, we did a lot of activities together to bring all the incoming freshmen together and get to know each other.” They are also organizing more team dinners. “We try to do them at least three times per month,” said team captain Maiah Robert ‘24 (Biology, Pre-Pharmacy). The dinners help the team connect in a low-pressure environment.
“Our team building is volunteering,” Robert said. The team detailed their previous volunteer projects, mentioning work with Feed My Starving Children and the St. Kate’s Food Access Hub. They are also extremely involved with youth hockey players, and they aid with Youth Hockey Association tryouts, help with “learn to skate” events and attend the games of young players in the community.
“We also skate with the Mounds View Irondale youth teams,” said Robert. “We go to their practices and they come play at our rink.”
Players and coaches additionally stressed the critical importance of the student-athletes’ mental health. The players must balance school and hockey during a season that lasts from September through February while “making sure we don’t run out of gas,” explained assistant captain Lauren Henriksen ‘24 (Nursing).
“As coaches, we want our players to be able to come to us and talk to us so we can provide players with resources,” said Chilstrom. “We want to promote mental health and how important it is to the game of hockey as well as for your every-day life [and] let players be comfortable talking about mental health and getting help.”
The team is involved with several organizations whose primary focus is student-athlete mental health. One is Sophie’s Squad, a nonprofit founded “to improve the mental health of athletes from youth to college by raising awareness of mental health issues and removing the stigma associated with seeking help,” according to the organization’s website. The Wildcats will play in a game on Feb. 10 against Bethel to bring awareness to the nonprofit.
St. Kate’s recently founded a club for The Hidden Opponent, another nonprofit that aims to destigmatize mental health care within sports culture. “We’ve all been pretty active in participating,” said Mumm.
“Our team does a really nice job of supporting one another,” Muum added, “especially when it comes to our mental health and making sure we’re all advocating for each other. We’re all there to support one another.”
As the hockey season ramps up, players asked their St. Kate’s community to attend games to support the team. “When there are people cheering in the stands, it makes the environment a lot better,” said Robert. “A lot of us play better because it’s a lot more fun when you hear people cheering you on.”
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Follow along with the team’s season on Instagram at @stkates.hockey!
