Natasha Savage, Women's Hockey | Hometown: Warwick, R.I. | Major: Sociology

To be a part of the Suffolk community, Suffolk athletics and more specifically the Suffolk women’s hockey team is something that is truly special. It all goes by way too fast for comfort. People always say, “four years go by fast” or “before you know it, you're taking off your jersey for the last time” and even after five years you never know the meaning of those words until the final buzzer goes off.

Walking into the locker room in 2018, to a brand new program, I never knew how much this team would impact me. I am thankful for every single moment. The winning, the losing, the early morning van rides, the long bus trips, the laughs, the tears, the ups, the downs, the everything. I am so proud to have called myself a Ram.  

To my Coaches, 

Taylor (Wasylk) and Bridget (O'Brien), you both have shaped the team and program for the better. Thank you for letting me be a part of the program from the first year. Thank you for bringing in the best group of people I have ever been around in my entire life. Thank you for not only making me into a better player, but a better person. Thank you for establishing a competitive program that has already found great success, but has so much more to accomplish in the years to come. You brought in so many different personalities and people from so many different backgrounds that helped us all from the time we were 18 years old to learn so much more about the world and the experiences of others.  

To my teammates:

I am so grateful to have been able to play and know each and every one of you. What we were able to accomplish this season 2022-2023 is something to be so proud of. To those of you who are returning, I want to remind you guys to enjoy every last second, on and off the ice. Believe it or not, you will miss that freezing cold rink at 6:30 in the morning. You will miss the backchecking drill. You will miss the faces in the locker room that vary year to year. I hope no one forgets how young the game really is and there is such a bright future for the program and the team. 

To my fellow inaugural class:  

The word “teammates” just feels too impersonal to describe the bond we have formed over these years. Five years ago, we all entered that locker room as a group of 23 complete strangers to a program that had so much ambiguity and uncertainty to it. I swear within minutes of meeting each other we became a family. That first season, we made history everytime we stepped on the ice and we continued to do so together every year. Together we built a team atmosphere that is so unique and unlike any other team I have been on. Never have I been on a team where you can be as close with every person on the team and have a locker room get along as well as we all could, can and do. That locker room holds some of my favorite memories. It’s not only where I have laughed the hardest, felt the most fired up, scream-sang my loudest, felt the most at home, cried my hardest, but it is where I have found my best friends and my second family. I don’t know if any bond will compare to those I have formed on this team. This group of girls has such a special place in my heart forever.  

To my family, 

Thank you for forcing me to play hockey when I was five years old even though I didn’t want to because it was a “boys” sport. Thank you for the 20 years of being my biggest fans. Thank you for the countless miles traveled and thank you for everything that I am forgetting. I truly cannot repay you guys enough. I know it has taken a lot of sacrifice, patience and time, but I love you guys more than you know. 

#RollRams

Hanging them up, 
Sav #21