Hamline’s hockey season for both men and women started Friday, Oct. 26.

Before the game, men’s first-year defender Lane Mahoney predicted that their opener against Gustavus would be a tough one.

“They [Gustavus] have a lot of returners and we have a lot of first years,” he said.

Both of Hamline’s hockey teams are stacked with first-year players: the men’s team have 14 first-years plus a rookie head coach in Doc DelCastillo. The women’s team has 13 first-years.

Mahoney hoped that DelCastillo’s coaching system would give the Pipers a chance against the Gusties.

“I think it will give us a good shot at beating them,” Mahoney said.

Friday night, the men’s team faced off with Gustavus Adolphus in Blaine, Minn., for the MIAC Hockey Showcase matchup.

The Pipers’ offense struggled to attack early on but it picked up as the game progressed into the later periods.

Despite junior Matt Hemingway’s 28 saves, the Pipers came up short in a 2-0 loss. DelCastillo and the young Pipers had a solid defensive showing against the MIAC’s defending champs, but their offensive struggles resulted in a shutout.

That same night featured the women’s first game: game one of a doubleheader against Wisconsin-Superior at Vadnais Heights Sports Complex.

They managed to find the net when sophomore forward Jordan Verleye scored a goal in the second period, which was assisted by senior defender Ashley Maskel and first-year forward Chelsea Koehn.

Unfortunately for the Pipers, Wisconsin-Superior held a consistent attack of 40 shots throughout the game which led to a 6-1 win in the opener.

The next day, Saturday Oct. 27, the two teams squared off again. The Pipers managed to cut down the allowed goals but still lost 4-1.

Despite the score, there were some highlights in the game. Hamline first-year defender Haleigh Bolton scored her first career goal, taking advantage of a power play opportunity, and junior goalie Caitlin Nosanov put up a great effort with 42 saves against a heavy attack as their opponent fired 46 shots on goal.

Sunday, Oct. 28, the men had another MIAC Hockey Showcase matchup, this time facing Concordia.

Offensively the Pipers came to play, as they were able to score five goals against Concordia’s goalkeeper. The game ended in a 5-5 tie. This was an overall turn around as they were shutout in their opening game 2-0.

The women’s hockey team face an early deficit with a record of 0-2, but have plenty of time to fix things before their next game Sat. Nov. 3 against St. Catherine.