Matt Woolverton
CHARACTERIZED BY EXPLOSIVE OUTBURSTS of sprint-like skating, intense physical contact and sustained endurance, college hockey demands peak performance through 60-minute games played multiple times a week over a long season.
Balancing the workload of a college student at a top-50 school, like Boston University, while maintaining consistent health is anything but easy for hockey players.
“Collegiate ice hockey is the longest season in college sports,” said Greg Cox, an injury prevention specialist at the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention at Boston Children’s Hospital. “Planning and preparing to be competitive at the end of the season requires managing player demands throughout its full duration.”
Long before the puck drops and the season begins, BU’s performance staff is deeply invested in the game, mapping out injury prevention strategies and recovery routines that treat student-athletes not just as competitors, but as people.
The Terriers’ performance staff credits their success to three core principles: collaboration, consistency and communication.
The staff is a multidisciplinary team — including athletic training, strength and conditioning and nutrition — that operates in sync under shared principles. This unified approach is key to the Terriers’ continued success in an athlete’s wellness and recovery.
Hockey players expend a high amount of energy, relying primarily on carbohydrates as their main fuel source, according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
To meet these energy demands, athletes must be intentional about their fueling strategies, especially in a sport as physically demanding and fast-paced as hockey. Proper nutrition not only supports performance but also plays a critical role in recovery, injury prevention and long-term endurance throughout the season.
Sarah Gilbert, a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition for BU Athletics, recognizes the importance of creating habits before the season starts so players can establish consistency in their nutrition.
“Pre and post-season is when we do the most nutrition education,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert explained that while her primary focus is on team-wide nutrition strategies, other members of the performance staff, who interact with the athletes daily, are well-positioned to identify individual needs.
B U’s men’s ice hockey athletic trainer Bridget Salvador, women’s ice hockey athletic trainer Emily Gibb, and strength and conditioning coach Ken Whittier conduct population screenings at the start of the season. Beyond that, their daily presence allows them to closely monitor athletes’ health and provide ongoing support throughout the year.
“It’s a year round process,” Salvador explained.
That year-round commitment extends beyond practices and games. It includes managing athlete needs during travel, ensuring continuity in care no matter where the team is competing.
Gibb described the importance of maintaining routine when the players are traveling. “[We try] to make it so that the travel itself is not a big deal, then that way people can kind of focus on the game,” she said.
Preserving that sense of normalcy, even away from home, helps athletes stick to their established habits, staying physically prepared.
“I think consistency with your own routine and making sure that you’re true to the things that you know are going to put you in a good spot to be successful is paramount,” Gibb said.
Whittier echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that consistency is key to long-term health and performance.
“I don’t think there’s a magic bullet,” Whittier said. “It really comes down to consistent habits — good, really good habits.”
The consistency staff members praise is rooted in the communication and collaboration they share.
When a player is injured, it’s a team-wide effort to ensure a safe and effective return to the ice.
“Both of our coaching staffs are open to the ways that they can be helpful in the transition back to participation,” Gibb said of the men’s and women’s coaching staff.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed and humbled by Jay Pandolfo and Tara Watchhorn,” Whittier said. “They’re both students of the game, and they will take feedback from anybody.”
Coaches work closely with athletic trainers to tailor each athlete’s recovery plan. That might mean having a player observe part of practice before heading to rehab or modifying drills to meet their needs as they begin to get cleared. This collaborative approach helps athletes return safely while maintaining their connection to the team.
“We don’t want them to feel isolated,” Salvador said. “We want them to continue to be a part of their team.”
Support for the wellness aspect of BU’s hockey programs extends beyond the daily performance staff, encompassing administration and a network of local healthcare specialists.
“Athletics at the administrative level and throughout the department, has made a commitment to both the men’s and women’s ice hockey program in terms of resources, staffing and investment that is unparalleled,” Gibb said. “We wouldn’t be able to provide a lot of the things that we provide to student athletes without that support.”
In addition, Boston is one of the top-ranked cities for health care in the United States, giving B U a geographic advantage in accessing care the university cannot provide directly.
Salvador believes this is one aspect of the BU’s approach to wellness and recovery that sets them apart. Having this vast network teaches the athletes principles that they can carry on past their time at BU.
“They need to be able to advocate for themselves in all aspects of their lives,” Salvador said. “Empowering them to do that within the medical system is a great way for us to start some of those conversations that they can take into their jobs later or into future sports.”
Supporting individuals in advocating for themselves medically helps establish sustainable practices for their future.
“It’s just about the habits that you’re instilling in the players,” Whittier said. “All those components of just trying to build discipline, work ethic and humility.”
At BU, recovery isn’t just about returning to play, it’s about building resilient athletes prepared for life beyond the game.
Editor’s note: This story is part of the Daily Free Press’ annual Hockey Issue. Physical copies are available around campus starting Friday, October 3rd and will be handed out at both the men’s and women’s home openers.