The Oswego State women’s hockey team heads into regular season play after two weekends of exhibition matchups. The Lakers will host Adrian College for a doubleheader in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena this weekend.

The Bulldogs enter the season ranked 12th in the USCHO poll while the Lakers sit just outside the 15 spot with 14 votes. But inside the numbers, the Corbett twins get to play against each other for the second and third time since joining the collegiate ranks.

Rachel and Emma Corbett grew up in Rochester and played together up until it was time to play collegiate hockey.

“We definitely have that sister chemistry and we play well together,” Rachel said. “We push each other. We are very competitive, sometimes a little too competitive. If I am playing good, she pushes herself. If she is playing good, I’ll push myself. We just have that drive.”

Emma left the state and headed to Michigan to play defense for the NCHA team. However, Emma has one college season under her belt. Adrian College was able to play during the 2020-21 academic year. Since then, her college experience has continued to improve.

“Adrian was a really good school for me because of the small class sizes and the winning hockey program,” Emma said. “I knew it would be a good fit for me and every year has been a better experience in both the school and hockey aspect. I learned a lot and grown up a lot.”

On the other side, Rachel finished her first season of collegiate hockey after playing 24 games in 2021-22 and recording seven points for the Lakers. Her first game in an Oswego State uniform was against her sister’s squad out in Adrian, Michigan. 

“It was exciting for Rachel and all of our sophomores who have never played a game of college hockey,” head coach Mark Digby said. “There was a whole year of anticipation, of waiting to finally put a game jersey on. You also throw in the twins playing against each other and the fact that they have a big family.”

Rachel now returns for her second campaign with Oswego State.  Digby said he has already seen growth in Rachel’s play this year since stepping onto the ice.

“She is one of those players that has had a tremendous amount of growth since last year,” Digby said. “Anytime a freshman is getting used to college hockey there is a huge learning curve. But, for her in her second year, she seems to have a level of maturity and confidence that is pretty awesome. It has been exciting to see the curve that she has gone through this year. She is a lot more pose with the puck and confident.”

The Corbett crew traveled in full force to Michigan last year for the first game of the Oswego State women’s hockey season. The atmosphere the group brought to the arena was a sight to see in the eyes of Digby.

“They had shirts made, rented a bus and drove out to Michigan together,” Digby said. “They were all in the stands before warmups started and it felt like they took up an entire section of bleachers in Adrian. There was an energy in the building simply because of them.”

With the Bulldogs getting in the coach bus this time around, the commute is much shorter for some of those family friends looking to catch the Corbett sisters playing on the same sheet of ice once again.

“My mom is an angel,” Rachel said. “She set up a whole email list of everyone that is coming. We have 50 to 60 family and friends that are coming on Friday and Saturday. They are getting to the hotel at three, tailgating at four, getting in their seats for warmups. It is probably one of the highlights of Emma and my college career.”

The women’s hockey team will seek to improve their rank in the USCHO Poll while keeping Rachel ahead in terms of wins in the sister matchup. 

Photo provided by Rachel Corbett