Senior captain and Assumption University commit Jenna Chaplain entered this season with 175 points, and four games into this season, sits at 180 — just 20 away from 200 in a St. Mary’s girls hockey sweater.
Chaplain has been playing varsity hockey since she was in seventh grade, and recently scored her 100th career goal earlier this month in a 7-1 win against Bishop Fenwick.
“There have been only two other players in the history of the program to ever do that [score 200 or more points],” Chaplain said.
Chaplain has been playing team hockey since she was 8 years old. However, she has been surrounded by hockey her whole life. Her father and older brother both played while she was growing up.
“[I was] always going to my brother’s practices. My dad was the coach so I would get to skate on the ice,” Chaplain said. “I just grew to love the sport, just from being around it.”
Chaplain, who has six years of varsity experience, mentioned how since she first started to play hockey, it was a dream to play Division 1 . It was in eighth grade when she believed she may have a real chance at playing at the next level.
This time next year, her dream will become a reality.
“It has been a dream since I could remember. Every time I stepped on the ice it was a dream of mine to play Division 1 hockey,” Chaplain said.
When asked about the recruiting process, Chaplain said it was “pretty easy.” Some aspects of Assumption University that attracted Chaplain are parallel to what she likes at St. Mary’s.
“It [Assumption University] is small — like my school now — so I kind of like that type of atmosphere just knowing everyone. I wanted to go there because of that community,” Chaplain said.
And when she moves on, there will always be a little Spartan in her heart.
“I love it [St. Mary’s]. It’s a small school, you know everyone. Everyone supports all the sports teams. It’s just awesome,” Chaplain said.
With the help and the experience of Chaplain, St. Mary’s hopes to not only advance deep into the state tournament this season, but rather, win it all.
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
