HAMILTON—The Colgate Women's Hockey team put a wrap on the 2018-19 season Saturday morning at the Colgate Inn with its season-ending banquet.
Six different team awards were handed out and all eight graduating seniors gave speeches to a packed room to close out the campaign.

Rookie of the Year – Tanner Gates
The Rookie of the Year Award recognizes a new player who has shown outstanding commitment and performance during her first year of play.
 

Gates took the ECAC by storm in her opening campaign in Hamilton. The Oceanside, Calif. native led all league rookie rearguards with 12 points and five goals on the season and finished the year third among rookie defensemen with a +9 rating. Her 12 league points were the most in program history by a Colgate rookie.

Brad Houston Award (Offensive Player of the Year) – Jessie Eldridge
Brad Houston is a former Colgate Athletics coach and administrator. He gave 36 years of service to Colgate before retiring in 2005 and today he and his wife, Chipper, continue to live in Hamilton, N.Y. Brad served as the first ever varsity women's hockey coach at Colgate from 1995-99 as the program made the transition from club to varsity status. Today, the Offensive Player of the Year is awarded annually in Brad's name. It is given to the player at the forward or defense position who demonstrated the greatest all-around offensive ability throughout the season.
 

Eldridge's senior campaign goes down in program history as the best ever. Her 30 goals and 54 points were the most ever in a single season by a Raider and she will graduate with an upwards of 10 program records. Her final campaign pushed her career point mark to 163, which is the most ever in Raider history and her +29 rating, six game-winning goals, four shorthanded goals and +29 rating all led Colgate this season.

Defensive Player of the Year – Olivia Zafuto
The Defensive Player of the Year is awarded annually to the player at any position who has demonstrated the greatest all-around defensive ability throughout the season.
 

The senior was a force on the ice for the entirety of her final campaign in Hamilton. She was tied for the national lead in power play goals late in the season and finished with six to go with her two even-strength goals and 26 assists to finish the year with 34 points. Her 34 points were the most ever by a Raider defenseman in a single season, which broke her own record from the 2017-18 campaign, and she will graduate with the most points in Colgate history by a defenseman with 104.

Most Improved Player – Kendall Williamson
The Most Improved Player of the Year is awarded annually to the player at any position who has demonstrated the greatest all-around defensive ability throughout the season.
 

The sophomore played a pivotal role in the Raiders' offensive depth this season. She registered her first two career goals during the season and dressed for all but one of the team's games. She moved up the lineup throughout the year and finished with a pair of points while being flagged down for just one minor penalty.

Sportsmanship Award – Livia Altmann
The Sportsmanship Award is presented annually to one individual who has exemplified the attributes of character, integrity and sportsmanship throughout her season and/or career.
 

Altmann graduates having left a massive impact on the program. She is the only Raider to appear in multiple Olympic Games already and captained Switzerland in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The Colgate tri-captain had a captain role for two straight seasons and finished her career with 103 games played and a +18 rating.

Don Palmateer Award – Jessie Eldridge
In 1974, during the inaugural club hockey season, the members of the newly formed women's hockey team at Colgate recognized Don Palmateer as the "driving force" behind getting the women's club team off the ground. In his role, as the Director of Intramural and club sports, Don believed that "the sky was the limit" for the women's hockey club. Don was a pioneer in establishing the club we all know well today. The Don Palmateer award is given annually on behalf of the Center Ice Club to the player whose leadership, inspiration and performance on and off the ice throughout her career has had the greatest impact on the Colgate Women's Ice Hockey program.

The senior also leaves the Raiders with a big impact on the program and the surrounding Colgate and Hamilton community. Eldridge volunteered countless hours to the local community and was recognized as a nominee for the Hockey Humanitarian Award this season. Notably, Eldridge ran the Raiders' "Learn to Skate" program, which helped local youth.

All eight seniors, Livia Altmann, Jessie Eldridge, Chelsea Jacques, Shae Labbe, Bailey Larson, Shannon Ormel, Julia Vandyk and Olivia Zafuto, were also honored with a commemorative jersey and gave a speech at the event. Altmann was the only one not in attendance, as she was competing with the Swiss National Team at the World Championships at the time, but she sent in a video that was shown.
 

The graduating class leaves Colgate as the winningest class in Raider history, as they tallied 101 victories and led the program to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Frozen Four berth and appearance in the national championship game during the 2017-18 campaign. Their first season on campus was also a memorable one, as the team enjoyed a 15-win improvement during the class' rookie year.

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