46 | MAY 2 • 2024 
J
N

H

ockey is more than 
just a sport for Elyssa 
Biederman.
“I’ve been playing hockey for 
as long as I can remember,
” she 
said. “It’s a part of me. I can’t 
imagine myself not playing 
hockey. My coaches and team-
mates have had a huge impact 
on my life.
”
The latest stop in Biederman’s 
hockey journey is Colgate 
University, a private college in 
Hamilton, N.Y., with an enroll-
ment of about 3,000 students.
Biederman, 19, is a sopho-
more at Colgate and a mem-
ber of the school’s Division I 
women’s hockey team, which 
was ranked No. 3 in the nation 
and was one of the country’s 
highest-scoring teams this past 
season.

A 5-foot-1 forward, 
Biederman was a major rea-
son why the Raiders (32-7-1) 
played in the Frozen Four, 
college hockey’s version of the 
iconic college basketball Final 
Four, for the second time in 
program history.
No. 2-ranked 
Wisconsin beat 
Colgate 3-1 in the 
national semifinals 
in late March at the 
Whittemore Center 
Arena on the campus 
of the University of 
New Hampshire in 
Durham, N.H., but 
Biederman still loved being on 
the center stage of women’s col-
legiate hockey.
“It was crazy there,
” the 
Birmingham Groves High 

School graduate said. “I soaked 
everything in. It was a great 
reward for all we achieved this 
season.
”
Biederman scored or assisted 
on all three Colgate goals in its 
3-1 win over No. 6 Cornell that 
sent the Raiders to the Frozen 
Four for the first time 
since 2018. Her goal 
was an empty-netter 
late in the game.
The All-ECAC 
Third Team selec-
tion had 17 goals 
and 33 assists while 
playing in all 40 
Colgate games during 
the 2023-24 season, with an 
impressive plus-minus rating 
of +40. That statistic reflects 
the number of goals your team 
scores and allows while you’re 

on the ice.
Biederman had somewhat 
similar statistics of 17 goals 
and 21 assists in 40 games as 
a freshman, but she feels she 
made big strides as a hockey 
player from her freshman to 
sophomore seasons. 
“I was very happy with how 
much I improved,
” she said.
“I was more used to the pace 
and physicality of Division I 
hockey. People come at you 
faster and you have to get the 
puck off your stick faster at this 
level, especially when you’re 
playing against girls who are 
three or four years older than 
you.
“I also feel I’m doing a better 
job now of balancing school 
and being a Division I athlete. 
The academics (at Colgate) are 
rigorous, but they’re preparing 
me well for my life after college 
and after hockey.
”
Biederman is majoring in 
biology with a minor in sociol-
ogy. After her hockey play-
ing days are over, one career 
option, she said, is getting a 
master’s degree in kinesiology 
and pursuing a career in ortho-
pedics.
But first … Biederman would 
love to play in the Women’s 
Professional Hockey League 
after getting her degree at 
Colgate.
“That could open doors for 
me to be a hockey coach or 
scout,
” she said.
Biederman is enjoying her 
time at Colgate, which has a 
small population of Jewish stu-
dents. 
“I try to be involved with the 
Jewish community (at Colgate) 
as much as I can, but it’s tough 
during the season,
” she said.
She’s a member of the 
Student Athlete Advisory 

Elyssa Biederman’s sophomore season on 
the Colgate University women’s hockey team 
includes a trip to the Frozen Four.

Ice Cold

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SPORTS

COLGATE UNIVERSITY

Elyssa Biederman

Elyssa Biederman had 17 goals 
and 33 assists in 40 games this 
past season for the Colgate 
University women’s hockey 
team.

OLIVIA HOKANSON/COLGATE ATHLETICS

