Women's Hockey Game Notes Vol. V | Page 5

MARIAN HOCKEY NCHA transfer students to the team. Junior Lauren Zachwieja comes to Marian after spending the last two seasons at Adrian College. A native of Franklin Park, Ill., Zachwieja will be joined on the team this year by her younger sister, Allyson. “Lauren is going to be a solid two-way player for us,” Kivi said. “She has the ability to create plays at both ends of the ice.” A second transfer from Adrian, Nina Laurie, joins the squad this year after taking a hiatus during the 2012-13 season. In her last season of play, Laurie netted nine goals and added 11 assists for the Bulldogs. “She’s a goal scorer, plain and simple,” Kivi said. “Nina sees the game extremely well and can be very creative with the puck.” In the NCHA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Sabres were picked to finish sixth. St. Norbert earned four of the six first-place votes, followed by Adrian, Lake Forest, St. Scholastica, and Concordia. Marian was selected ahead of Finlandia in the poll. “Jessie is a smart player who knows her way around the ice,” Kivi said. “She’s one of the freshmen that you should see contribute from day one.” “The NCHA is a very competitive conference,” Kivi said. “Any team can win on any given night, so that places a high priority on preparedness.” One of the keys for t he Sabres this year will be their consistency. If they can limit their mistakes and hone in on highlighting the core, expect them to turn some heads. Headlining the incoming freshmen this year is Sarah Bier. Hailing from Barnhart, Mo., Bier is an offensive defenseman that can create plays for the Sabres on the attack. “Sarah possesses a hard shot from the blue line, but can also distribute and set up her teammates for the goal,” Kivi said. MUSabreAthletics @MUSabres MUSabres SabreAthletics SEASON PREVIEW Junior forward Amanda Waigand