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Head Coaches Taylor Mousigian-Costella (left) and Assoc. Head Coach Leah Mousigian (right) talking to the team. Photo credit: Linzy Costella
By James Olsen
Members of the EMU women’s hockey team, Berezny, Lutes, Rutherford, Tumpach, and Sitterly, before the game on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Photo credit: By: James Olsen
With a roster of only 10, the Eastern Michigan University women's hockey team is undefeated in their inaugural season.
Women’s sports have exploded in popularity in recent years. The PWHL has emerged strongly within the hockey community, gaining popularity in its second season. The WNBA captured national attention during the 2024 draft. And in collegiate sports, this momentum is echoed by EMU's women's hockey team, which has quietly built an impressive and dominating reputation on the Ypsilanti campus.
The EMU Eagles women's hockey team is rated number one in the ACHA rankings for women's Division 2 schools from November thru January. The only blemish on their record was a tie in their second game against the Aurora University Spartans. They quickly rebounded and have since outscored their opponents nearly 3-1, boasting an impressive 87/30 GF/GA.
Remarkably, their roster comprises only 10 players, all freshmen — eight skaters and two goalies — compared to a typical hockey roster of 20 players. Despite this, the Eagles have a secret weapon: unrivaled camaraderie and team chemistry.
Team captain Sam Sitterly, a freshman, reflects on their first game of the season against Central Michigan: “[CMU] was getting so frustrated. They were yelling at each other, you know, it was a close game. But every single word that came out of our mouths was, encouraging each other. And I think that's what sets [us] apart.”
The Eagles' ability to grind down their opponents' endurance by playing a smart, positional game, while limiting unforced errors and capitalizing on turnovers, has led them to an outstanding near-perfect record of 15-0-1 as of Feb. 8.
Mya Berezny, freshman, skates the puck past the Notre Dame defense on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Photo credit: James Olsen
The team was founded in 2024 by Head Coach Taylor Mousigian-Costella, an EMU alum, and Associate Head Coach Leah Mousigian. Their success is attributed to the special chemistry the women share on and off the ice.
“Family first— that's our motto, that’s our philosophy,” Costella explains. “And every girl that we're bringing in this year and next year, and every year from that is going to buy into that atmosphere [...] We're going to fight for each other and play for each other.”
Defenseman Kayden Burch shares her perspective on moving to Michigan to play for EMU from her home in Calgary, AB: “We just literally could have gone to a school in Canada [and] made it 1000 times cheaper,” she said, motioning toward teammate Avery Rutherford of Georgetown, ON. “Or come here and take the chance.”
“We could have been so bad,” Burch adds. “We literally could have been so bad, and nobody would have known. But look at us now.”
As one might expect, this near-perfect season also includes more than its fair share of milestone records. On Oct. 6, team captain #24 Sam Sitterly became the first player in team history to record a hat trick — three goals in one game. On Jan. 25, against Ohio State, she also became the first player in team history to reach 50 points.
Additional milestones include hat tricks recorded by #28 Katelyn Lutes, #14 Reagan Nolan, #10 Abby Tumpach, and #9 Lilly Medicine. Freshman goaltender #16 Reese Doti notched the Eagles' first shutout on Nov. 1. And again the 50-point milestone was reached by Lutes on Feb. 9.
Even in a season full of records, one trait remains true about this group of athletes: they are humble.
“Genuinely, I wouldn't be able to do without anybody here,” Sitterly says about her 50+ point season while praising her team. “Maybe I'm supposed to come on saying I always had faith. But, you know, we look at our bench, see this many people, we're like, you know what? Maybe we're not going to be the best team. But that didn't stop any one of us from going out to that first game and every game since then, from going the hardest on that ice. It didn't matter.”
“They don’t even talk about winning,” Mousigian adds. “They say they like it, but they talk about the team and each other before discussing themselves or winning.”
Head Coaches Taylor Mousigian-Costella (left) and Assoc. Head Coach Leah Mousigian (right) talking to the team during a break in action. Photo credit: Linzy Costella
This team and program have a promising future. Five new players are already committed for the 2025-26 season. Slowly, word is spreading about the women’s hockey team.
“I think [we’re] getting a lot of traction because we are one of the most successful sports teams, if not the most successful, at our school,” Burch states.
“I think one of the craziest things is we are quite literally making history,” remarks Sitterly on the successful first season. “And there's not a single person on [this] team that holds themselves that way. They don't [say] ‘We're undefeated, we're so good.’ Every single person on this team is probably one of the most humble people I've met.”
The team plays home games at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Ann Arbor, MI. They can also be found on Facebook and Instagram for more details on games, stats, and other events.
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