As the house lights dim and the music begins to echo around the Class of 1965 Arena, the Colgate University Raiders women’s hockey team hits the ice for a couple quick warmup laps before lining up at the end line for the introduction of the starting lineups.
Joining the six starters on this night are sisters Claire and Brynn Murphy, who are decked out in their own special maroon and white uniforms as Raiders of the Day. They wait at the blueline as one by one the Raiders starters skate toward them and give each sister an enthusiastic fist bump.
On the bench, the girls 10-year-old sister Maggie arranges sticks and water bottles as the Youth Manager of the Game. It’s all part of the team’s Rising Raiders mentorship program, where for the third season the women’s hockey team has paired up its players with girls from local youth teams.
The program is the brainchild of former assistant coach Chelsea Walkland, who had been involved in similar mentorship programs during her time coaching at Robert Morris and the State University of New York at Oswego. She recruited Sydney Marsh, the team’s director of player support & creative media, and Danielle Serdachny, a five-year star at Colgate, to help get the program off the ground.
Getting involved was a no-brainer for Serdachny, an Edmonton, Alberta native who was looking for a way to give back to a community that was so welcoming to her when she arrived as an 18-year-old freshman in 2019.
“I think everyone was super excited about the program and you saw right away the impact it had on these young girls,” said Serdachny, who is now a member of the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. “That was very special and very noticeable, which kind of inspired everyone to keep giving back and to keep in touch with their Raiders, just knowing how much it means to them.”
Together the group contacted youth hockey programs within a two-hour radius of the Hamilton campus, asking them to spread the word. Within a matter of days all 50 Rising Raiders spots were filled.
“Throughout that first year, we received a lot of great feedback, and I think you could see from the reactions of the players, but also the parents and the kids involved, how much of an impact it really had on all of them,” said Serdachny, who was named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award for her work with the program.
Since its inception, 150 girls between the ages of 6 and 14 have connected with members of the Colgate women’s team. The goal of the program is to provide mentorship opportunities and role models for area girls to look up to as they grow into the next generation of women’s hockey players.
The season kicks off with a pizza party at the rink where youngsters meet their mentors. All three of the Murphy sisters were excited to team up with goaltender Hannah Murphy (no relation), especially 8-year-old Claire, who is a goalie with the Camillus Cougars 8U team. Her sister Brynn, 6, also plays on the 8U team, while their older sister Maggie, 10, skates on a 12U team in the Skaneateles program.
Depending on their age, each Rising Raider then selects a home game to attend as either the Raider of the Day, where they skate with the team during pregame festivities, or as the Youth Manager of the Game, where they announce the starting lineup after meeting the team in the locker room before watching warm-ups from the bench.
The girls also skate with the Colgate players several times during the season at on-ice clinics. On the ice and away from the rink, the women’s players take their roles as mentors very seriously. Most stay in touch during the season by phone and several of them show up at the girls’ games when their schedule allows.
“I think it goes both ways with this entire program. Obviously, we are having an impact on them, but they have an impact on us, too,” said Emma Pais, a sophomore who has taken over to lead the program after Serdachny graduated in the spring. “When we go to those games and watch our Raiders play, it’s not just a cool experience for them, but also for us to remember why we started playing and how fun hockey can still be.”
For Pais being involved with the youngsters is something very close to her heart.
“First off, I love kids, and I love the program,” the Ontario native said. “I saw how successful it has been in the past and being able to see the impact it has on those young girls. Not just hearing about it from parents and different coaches in the area, but also how excited they are when they get to come on the ice with us. Sometimes we don’t realize the impact we can have. That’s why I decided to take it over and try to keep it running the best I could.”
Based on the number of girls who jump at the chance to sign up for the program and the feedback everyone on the team receives from parents and players, Colgate has caught lightning in a bottle when it comes to creating a connection with the stars of tomorrow. With the growing popularity of women’s hockey around the country, other schools can use the Rising Raiders program as a blueprint to do something similar in their own communities.
“Hopefully it’s something that can catch on at other schools because it’s just such an incredible opportunity for younger girls to really get to know women hockey players,” Serdachny said.
“The future of women’s hockey is so bright so continuing to provide mentorships and these kinds of lasting relationships are so special for both the players and the little girls involved in the programs.”