Friday night was a long time coming for the Connecticut Whale, and for goaltender Abbie Ives.
When the Premier Hockey Federation schedule was announced this offseason it was revealed that the Founding Four club would be relocating from Danbury Ice Arena to the Hartford County town of Simsbury where they would call International Skating Center of Connecticut their new home.
It’s hard to outshine a spotlight as bright as a home opener played in a new facility jam packed with new fans while wearing new uniforms, but the moment the final buzzer sounded, it was clear the night belonged to the netminder who posted her first career shutout.
“It’s awesome and it feels great,” Ives said post-game. “It’s a mental battle just to focus on the moment in front of you, but at the end it’s an ecstatic feeling and my teammates were happy. For us to win here and the way that we won, and for myself to get the shutout. I really try not to think about it (shutout), but it’s exciting and awesome that the team was excited for me. It just adds to the night, getting the win at the home opener.”
The 24-year-old from Bedford Hills, NY thrived in the new atmosphere, turning aside all 24 shots the Minnesota Whitecaps fired her way during her 21st career PHF start.
“We knew that this rink was really excited to have us and I think you could tell that by all of the people that came out,” she said. “It was a good vibe, and we just tried to play our best and start off on a good note.”
The Whale won 2-0 with Kennedy Marchment scoring the team’s first goal at ISCC. Count the reigning PHF MVP among the teammates proud to celebrate Ives’ achievement.
“Abbie was absolutely outstanding,” Marchment told reporters post-game. “Her shutout tonight, she definitely deserved every save. She worked for every save, even just the saves that we may think are simple. At times she was definitely the backbone and kept us in the game, and at other times she was just there for support. Abbie is one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with, one of the hardest working people, and that was a well-deserved shutout for her.”
Head coach Colton Orr also sang her praises.
“The work Abbie has put in during the offseason and her focus and the way she’s playing right now has been great,” he said. “She’s been solid. She’s making those first saves, tracking pucks well, we’ve got a lot of confidence with her in the net. It’s great to see her get the first shutout of her career.”
Just as the team has confidence in Ives, she has grown confidence in herself with mental fortitude and perspective heading into her third PHF season.
“It’s a lifelong battle of the position and all about being in the moment,” Ives said. “I think everyone struggles with that throughout their career, just letting go of things you can’t control and only focusing on what you can control. I work on that every day.”
During the summer Ives trained at her alma mater, Quinnipiac University, where she reunited with strength and development coach Brijesh Patel for guidance. He’s been critical to her progress along with a new personal outlook that prioritizes planning her practice sessions.
“I think I finally realized that I need to make an on-ice plan so I know I’m working on the right things every day and not just skating to skate,” she said. “That was the big change I made, and that just kind of came with getting older and experience, seeing what worked and didn’t work. I had more focus on the ice and tried to maximize my workouts, and I think I executed that pretty well this summer.”
The Whale were supposed to play their home opener at their Milford practice facility Nov. 19 but the series against Buffalo was postponed due to weather. Ives used the extended break to her advantage.
“When I found out the games were cancelled, I was disappointed, but it was an opportunity to get better,” she said. “I just tried to really dial in on practice and take advantage of the opportunity to prepare even longer. It got me more excited to play. It sucked at the time, but maybe it was good for us with just a little extra practice and just getting more and more excited to be out there competing.”
There’s plenty of reasons for the Whale to be excited about competing and chasing their first Isobel Cup this season after making their first appearance in the championship final in 2021-22. 13 members of that unit have returned to The Pod, including Ives who set a franchise record with 10 wins. They’re determined to build on that foundation while establishing new roots.
“A lot of us came back not knowing we were going to play here (in Simsbury),” she said. “That’s a testament to what we have here. People like playing here, playing for Colton, and like playing together. This (facility) is going to take it to the next level for us, just knowing that this is our home base and they want us to be here, they are going to support us in any way. It’s a huge factor for people wanting to play here and wanting to stay here.”
A new locker room, training areas, center ice logo, videoboard, and a community that has welcomed them with open arms are just part of what will make the experience at ISCC special.
“It’s super nice,” Ives said. “There is so much space for us to warm up. Having the logo there. The owners were so excited to show us the locker room. It felt really good to have them so excited and give us everything we need. I’m really excited about where this can go here.”
Ives will undoubtedly get used to her new surroundings but caught herself admiring the atmosphere during stoppages of play on Friday and enjoyed what she saw.
“I think at the whistles it’s impossible not to have your eyes wander,” she said. “I see my parents, little kids waving at me, so I try to take that time to take a deep breath. It’s awesome to look and see everyone in the stands that came out for us.”
Cover photo by Jonathan Sawn
