From left Rivier women's hockey coach Marykate Drinkwater, forward Rebecca Mckelvey, goalie Rachel Hinkley and defenseman Molly Duesherer were all honored by the MASCAC on Wednesday. (Photos courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Rivier women’s ice hockey program had four members earn Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) postseason awards, highlighted by first-year head coach Marykate Drinkwater and sophomore forward Rebecca McKelvey winning major awards.

Drinkwater was tabbed the Coach of the Year, while McKelvey was named the MASCAC Player of the Year and also landed on the All-Conference First Team.

Senior goaltender Rachel Hinkley and junior defender Molly Dukesherer were each named to the All-Conference Second Team.

Drinkwater’s Coach of the Year nod comes following the most successful season in the program’s four-year history. The team finished with a 15-11-1 overall record, shattering the previous record for most wins in a single season while also earning an appearance in the MASCAC Championship game.

The team posted a 10-4-1 conference record to earn the No. 3 seed in the MASCAC Tournament, advancing to the title match following a home win over No. 6 Framingham St. (Feb. 26) and a dramatic road victory at No. 2 Worcester St. (Feb. 28).

The Raiders ultimately fell in the fourth overtime of the inaugural MASCAC Championship at No. 1 Plymouth St., skating 126:55, finishing 1:11 shy of the NCAA Division III record for the longest game in history.

Rivier allowed just 0.99 goals per game against conference opponents, the lowest in the league. The team’s powerplay and penalty kill metrics were also atop the MASCAC leaderboard, scoring 28.9% of the time with the advantage and killing nearly 91% of all penalties taken.

McKelvey earned the conference’s top award thanks in large part to her league-leading 31 points, posting 19 goals and 12 assists over 27 games played. At the time of publication, the Barre, Vt. native sits tied-15th in the nation in points per game (1.15). McKelvey upped her point total by 20 and her goals by 12 to help Rivier score the most goals in a single-season in program history (64). The sophomore scored six powerplay goals and three game-winning goals. In the MASCAC Quarterfinals back on Feb. 26, McKelvey recorded a point on each of the Raiders’ five goals (2-3-5) to help the squad advance in the conference’s inaugural postseason tournament.

In goal, Hinkley boasted a .950 save percentage and a 1.54 goals-against average, making a career-high 514 saves over 17 games played. In 16 starts, the Swedesboro, N.J. native posted a 9-7-0 record with a 2-1-0 mark in the postseason. She made 60 stops in the season-opener against No. 11 Nazareth and bookmarked the year with a new career-high, making 66 stops in the MASCAC Championship.

Dukesherer skated in 25 games, posting a career-high 11 points (1-10-11) from the blue line. The Richland, Mich. product finished the season with a plus/minus rating of +8, the best of her career.

Drinkwater and the Raiders look to carry the momentum into the 2025-26 season and make another push for a MASCAC trophy.