Having combined to play in 209 games and comprising an enormous part of the women’s hockey team’s heart and leadership, senior captains Jamie Ramenofsky and Maryann Nowak will be dearly missed when they graduate this spring.
“They are great leaders and extremely committed,” said sophomore teammate Caroline Scott. “They are great role models on and off the ice.”
Ramenofsky, a defender, and Nowak, a forward, have always had a presence on the ice for Cornell since the moment they arrived on campus. In total, the two have contributed 42 points, including 16 goals, throughout their careers.
“It’s been an honor stepping on the ice each day,” Ramenofsky said. “Playing is just so special in itself.”
Ramenofsky said that the chance to play under head coach Melody Davidson — the Canadian national team’s head coach — has been unforgettable.
“It’s been a great opportunity playing under [her],” Ramenofsky said. “I’ve learned more in the last four years here athletically than I have at any time before that.”
With its schedule winding down, the Cornell squad — much ado to the leadership of Ramenofsky and Nowak — continues to play hard, despite a season that would tax the patience of most teams. Though currently mired in a 19-game winless streak following this weekend’s losses to Princeton and Yale at home, the team has been highly competitive playing in one of the toughest conferences in all of women’s collegiate hockey.
This was seen as recently as this past weekend, when the Red took the No. 9 Princeton squad into overtime before succumbing, 6-5.
Scott accredits the Red’s several close calls against some of the best teams in the nation to the leadership that Nowak and Ramenofsky have provided.
“They show a lot of optimism in what we can do,” Scott said. “Our team competes with the best of them. We have everything it takes and [Ramenofsky and Nowak] have shown us that.” The co-captains have also undertaken the role of acquainting the team’s large freshman class with college hockey.
“It’s been challenging this season with so many freshman,” Ramenofsky said. “We’re trying to get them to recognize how good they make themselves and the hockey team.”
Besides being leaders on the bench for many of the team’s younger players, Ramenofsky and Nowak have also come up huge on the ice.
The most offensive defender on the roster, Ramenofsky has recorded a goal and seven assists on the season, upping her career stats to four goals with 23 assists. Meanwhile, Nowak currently is tied for third on the team with 5 goals. For her career, she has put the puck in the net 12 times.
Instead of their stats, however, it is the attitude that they have infused the team with that the captains are most proud of.
“We hope that we’ve passed along a respect for themselves and Cornell women’s hockey,” Ramenofsky said. “We feel like we’ve really gotten the stage set for next year.”
Archived article by Scott Reich
Sun Staff Writer