Women's Hockey: From rivals to teammates to the top

One is a little bit quiet. One is small in stature, and the third has a sharp wit. But put the three leading scorers on the women’s hockey team on skates, and they can all be described similarly.

Fast. Aggressive. Good.

Sophomores Sally Butler, Denna Laing and Olivia Mucha lead the team first-second-third in points and assists this season. They combine for 17 of the team’s 33 goals and 20 of the 55 assists. As freshmen, the trio tallied 26 goals last season, and Mucha tied for the team lead in points.

All three have been playing hockey since age seven, and they’ve always known they wanted to play at the highest level possible. Off the ice, however, they are strikingly different. Butler grew up outside of Toronto playing in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. Mucha and Laing both went to East Coast prep schools, with Mucha attending Hotchkiss and Laing attending Nobles. Interestingly enough, the current teammates are former rivals.

“Denna and I hated each other,” Mucha said with a smile.

“We didn’t get along very well, especially in field hockey,” Laing added. “I took a few balls to her head. I don’t know if it was totally on purpose, but subconsciously, that’s where they were going.”

The competitive rivalry quickly fell away as the classmates began to challenge each other as teammates, rather than competitors. Butler commented on the chemistry that the trio has on the ice together, especially last year when they would play together as a line.

“Denna and Mucha are just very speedy and fun players to play with,” Butler said. “They create space for you out there; they crash the net hard; they’ve both got great shots. It was fun playing with them last year.”

This year, the lineup has been changed a bit due to a season-ending shoulder injury for Mucha. But this hasn’t kept her away from the rink.

“You definitely appreciate it more,” Mucha said. “Watching them skate today, I actually wish I could be out there. You just notice that everyone actually gives it her all. Everyone is there and wants to be there.”

Along with this newfound appreciation, she has also gained a new perspective.

“Hockey is definitely a team sport. You notice that if one person makes a mistake, it’s a complete disaster,” Mucha added. “Our coaches tell us, especially this year, ‘do the little things,’ like discipline. It’s easy to hear that, but now I’ve noticed that one little play can lead to something big.”

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“I get to see kind of a coaching perspective,” Mucha said.

Butler and Mucha both said that the collegiate hockey community is like one big network. Coming from Canada, Butler said she often knows multiple people on the opposing team, adding a personal aspect to the sport. Mucha also said that, at this level, the game is much more physical.

One thing that the women can all agree on is the love-hate relationship that comes with playing hockey at the collegiate level.

“I wouldn’t say tough, because you enjoy it,” Butler said. “It’s challenging, but it’s fun. I couldn’t picture Princeton without it.”

“It’s a battle,” said Mucha. “Playing a sport here, you battle for respect from the student community. You battle to succeed in social life, academics and in your sport. On the ice, you battle for the pride.”

“It’s a lot of hard work,” said Laing. “It’s a big time commitment, but we have a lot of fun, and we’re definitely a family.”

All three emphasized the camaraderie that is felt throughout the whole team, not just within each class. The team is small, so every player has the opportunity to make an impact. More importantly, everyone has to work hard.

With the sophomore trio, it is clear how comfortably they fit together.

“Don’t get sassy,” Laing joked to Mucha at the end of the interview.

So Butler may be a little calmer. Mucha may only be 5 feet 5 inches tall. And Laing may have tried to take out a competitor with a field hockey ball to the head.

But put them on the ice, and it all falls away.