PWHL New York's Micah Zandee-Hart wears the captain's "C" on the ice, but her leadership this season has extended well beyond the ice to the stands and locker room.
PWHL New York's Micah Zandee-Hart wears the captain's "C" on the ice, but her leadership this season has extended well beyond the ice to the stands and locker room.
BRIDGEPORT, CT -- PWHL New York team captain Micah Zandee-Hart might not have been a physical presence on the ice during her recent recovery from shoulder surgery, but she definitely made an impact with her eyes and ears.
While her teammates and coaches were working on situational drills along with all the Xs and Os of a typical daily practice in the weeks leading up to the regular season, Zandee-Hart was skating wherever an area was available at the far end of the North Rink at Chelsea Piers Connecticut.
Her shoulder was out of commission for athletic activity, but her legs certainly weren't and she took full advantage of every opportunity to stay in shape from a hockey standpoint.
But she wasn't only working on her rehab. She was keeping a careful watch over the New York players' regimen in Stamford, taking mental notes, and then sharing them with those who were more than willing to listen.
Having just returned for the final two games prior to this week's National Hockey League All-Star Weekend/ PWHL Showcase break, Zandee-Hart was finally able to lace up her skates for game action on the road in Toronto and subsequently during her first home appearance at Total Mortgage Arena last Sunday.
She was especially happy to put on a color that she had been looking forward to wearing for quite a while.
"That was special. It was my first game wearing a teal jersey and that was cool," Zandee-Hart said of her first shift in Bridgeport during a post-game interview. "We just want to keep building that home fan base and make this a rink that people don't want to play in so that's the goal."
One particular Saturday in early December before New York left for the pre-season camp with other PWHL teams in Utica, N.Y., Zandee-Hart could be seen sharing thoughts and ideas with Head Coach Howie Draper near one of the blue lines for several minutes before the two headed upstairs at the conclusion of practice.
It's that type of leadership that earned for Zandee-Hart the "C" on her No. 28 jersey during a special ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City over the holidays.
Although the team has struggled as one-third of the PHWL season is in the books, Zandee-Hart said the mood in the locker room is anything but gloomy.
The squad has nine points through its first eight games thanks to two regulation and one overtime win to go along with an overtime loss. That's hardly acceptable, however, to a team that left Utica with rave reviews and so much promise and optimism.
She knows the mindset of the team is not to dwell on the last eight games but to put the radar squarely on the next 16. That improvement, she feels, starts with scoring more goals after netting a grand total of one in recent contests against Toronto and Minnesota.
"I think for us it's obviously just putting the puck in the back of the net," Zandee-Hart said. "As strong as we are defensively, to win games we gotta score goals."
She did like the fact that New York put together a more complete effort in all three zones on Sunday vs Minnesota -- a 2-1 loss in overtime -- as compared to an out-of-sync and overall erratic showing in Friday's 2-0 setback at Toronto.
"I think we played with a lot more cohesion (on Sunday)," Zandee-Hart said. 'Obviously, it's tough to go into a break with a couple of losses, but I think overall our team is getting better every game even though the scores haven't reflected that."
She hopes her teammates have taken some quality time to enjoy the week and haven't spent too much time thinking about hockey.
"For us, I think it's a matter of taking some time for ourselves, enjoying time with family and having some good fun," she said. "Kind of like a re-set and coming back energized for our next game against Ottawa."
As far as the technical aspects of New York's game is concerned, Zandee-Hart noted that things like face-off efficiency and board battles really depend on the opponent.
"It will vary from game to game," she said. "That's something that depends on our opponents' style of play but having said that we have to make the right adjustments."
One constant that Zandee-Hart certainly hopes stays strong is New York's goaltending.
"Both Corinne (Schroeder) and Abbey (Levy) keep us in every game. They have been amazing," she said. "So it's our job -- and mine especially as a defender -- to help them out and make the plays and move the puck up the ice."
Zandee-Hart's leadership both on and off the ice is nothing new.
Last season in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, Zandee-Hart was voted by her teammates as a top leader for her role as a mentor and someone who made herself available to those in any situation.