While the NHL is receiving a lot of attention for its current lockout, and the men’s club hockey team is drawing praise for its play, the Illini Women’s Hockey club made plenty of noise of its own last season, and looks to repeat its success this year.

Last year’s team took home the state title, but just missed out on the championship in the Women’s Central Hockey League (WCHL). The team has high aspirations to improve this season.

“(We can win the league if) we use the knowledge we gain during the season, and become more cohesive as a team,” said offensive player Stephanie Seiler.

But head coach Sebastien Boutet said reaching those goals will not be easy.

“It’s going to be tougher because we lost a lot of senior players from last year, but winning the league still remains our goal,” Boutet said.

Boutet leads 16 women on Illini Team 1, the more experienced team which plays against more competitive teams. Illini Team 2 fields many players who have never played hockey on a team before.

Junior Mandy Breon appreciates the opportunity that Team 2 provides.

“There were never any girl teams back home, and I always wanted to play,” Breon said. “Freshman year, I got the opportunity and I’ve stuck with it.”

The Team 2 girls are not pushovers, though, Boutet said.

“If you can skate, you can play on the team,” Boutet said. “But these girls improve fast, and a lot of them who play on (Team 2) jump to (Team 1) after gaining some experience.”

Players do not have to be current students, but must be affiliated with the University in order to play. Boutet appreciates the diversity of the team.

“We have a wide range of ages, from 18- to 50-year-olds, so it makes for a pretty interesting experience,” Boutet said.

But the players get more out of being on the team than just playing hockey.

“We hang out a lot – a lot of us have become close friends just by being together so much,” Breon said. “Even when we lose, we have fun.”

Captain Katie Adams sees the team as a great learning experience.

“I’ve gained a lot from the team, other than getting better at hockey,” Adams said. “It has taught me a lot of leadership skills.”

Team 1 plays its next games Friday at 10:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Ice Arena.