Colby College
NCAA DIII • NESCAC
Date: July 23, 2026
Would Recommend
I wish I could go back to the day I committed to this program and make a different decision. Before playing for her, hockey was my entire life. I was fortunate enough to have coaches who valued hard work, fairness, honesty, and development. They made me love the game even more. Playing here had the opposite effect. By the end of my time in this program, the passion I had spent years building was completely gone, and that is something I still struggle to forgive. What made the experience so damaging wasn’t losing games or not getting ice time. It was the environment that was created. No matter how much effort I put into practices, workouts, or improving on my own, it never seemed to matter. Certain players were singled out and isolated without any clear explanation, creating an atmosphere of anxiety instead of growth. As my mental health began to decline, I reached out to her hoping for support or at least a honest conversation. Instead, I felt ignored and pushed even further to the margins. After opening up, my opportunities became even more limited, leaving me feeling isolated from both the team and the sport I loved. The damage extended far beyond hockey. My college experience suffered because so much of my life revolved around a program that had become emotionally exhausting. While friends at other schools spoke about supportive coaches and positive team cultures, I dreaded going to the rink. It felt like certain players were targeted while others were treated completely differently, and there never seemed to be any transparency or fairness. Being scratched was difficult, but what made it especially damaging was never receiving any meaningful explanation or guidance. I was expected to watch games from the stands, separated from the team, with no clear understanding of what I needed to do to earn another opportunity. It felt less like coaching and more like an isolation and humiliation ritual of sorts. Parents send their children to college programs expecting coaches to develop them not only as athletes but as people. In my experience, this program did the opposite. I left with less confidence, worse mental health, and a love for hockey that had been stripped away. It’s been both validating and upsetting to see some other reviews here of players who experienced an almost identical experience to mine. I say upsetting because I would not wish this treatment on anyone and to know it still after all these years later continues on is truly both disturbing and disappointing. I sincerely hope any player thinking of committing to play for her thinks twice before agreeing.