Shady Side Academy grad Izee Powell embracing challenges of Division I hockey

When looking at the statistics of the Dartmouth women’s hockey team from 2023-24, it’s hard not to notice that Shady Side Academy grad Izee Powell was fourth in scoring.

The junior defenseman had her best season last year, scoring six goals, four on the power play, and had nine assists. Her point total was not only fourth best on the team, but second best by a defenseman.

But when you bring those stats up with Powell, she’ll make it very clear that she isn’t out to be a point getter.

“Last year was great as far as points are concerned,” Powell said. “But I strive to be the best teammate I can be, be the hardest working player, the most relentless. The points will come, but my impact is certainly not tied directly with how many points I score.”

Powell sought for ways to improve her game heading into this season, despite what her stats are.

“I’m naturally hard on myself and hold myself to a really high standard,” said Powell, who admitted she wasn’t getting what she wanted from her workouts in previous years.

So, she sought out help in the offseason.

“I had the privilege of going home, which is on the Miami of Ohio campus,” Powell said. “I got to train at Goggin Ice Arena with Keith Parker, the athletic trainer for the men’s hockey team. I was training on the ice every day and off the ice five or six days a week.”

She found what she was looking for. A plan that made sense for her and what was going to make her a better hockey player, not just someone who was in the best shape of their life.

“It was nice to have a support system and a plan to track my progress and be intentional about what workouts I was doing and how I was doing them and what recovery looks like,” Powell said.

“She’s grown tremendously,” Dartmouth coach Maura Crowell said. “She’s very detailed and very focused on her game. She takes care of her body and that includes how she fuels it.”

Nutrition was something Powell also wanted to get a handle on. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she found out that she was under fueling her body for the rigors of Division I athletics.

At the beginning of last season, she started seeing a nutritionist, not to change what she was eating, but to make sure she’s getting enough to eat and making sure the timing is right.

“I take into account every detail that you can think of,” Powell said. “Not just game days, but all the days leading up to game day because it all adds up. Sundays I’ll plan what I have food wise and if I need something I’ll get it, just to be sure I am able to refuel during the week when I’m busy with school work and training.”

The combination of her offseason training and her vigilance when it comes to nutrition have brought forth the results she had wanted to see from her training in her freshman and sophomore years.

“I would say I’m healthier than I was previously,” Powell said. “My numbers in the gym have gone up, I fell better on the ice. I’m ready to go at all times, I’m more focused, have more power and energy and can go for a long time.”

It’s good that Powell got a handle on her training. She logs a lot of ice time for the Big Green.

“Her defensive play has been really strong this year,” Crowell said. “She’s playing 25 to 30 minutes a game. She’s on the power play, the penalty kill, six on five. Name a situation and she’s on the ice for us.”

Crowell, who came over this year after turning around the program at Minnesota Duluth, likes what Powell has given her, even though the stats aren’t there this year.

“She’s a very reliable defender,” Crowell said. “She’s very physical, not afraid to mix it up, uses her body well and is an intense hockey player and hard to play against. She also has a rocket for a shot, which brings some offense to our blueline.”

Even though her point total is down this year — Powell has only logged six assists — her defensive efforts have helped Dartmouth (4-17-3, 2-13-3 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference) cut its goals-against average from 4.6 last year to 2.6 this year.

The team started the year off losing 14 straight, with six of those games being decided by one goal and three more by two goals.

After the Christmas break, the team started to win a few of those close games, winning six straight, twice in a shootout, before losing in a shootout to Cornell, which was sixth in the country at the time.

“We’re improving every day,” Powell said. “We knew coming in that it was going take some time, hard work and consistency to build the program from the ground up. Coach Crowell has been consistent in her message, and there aren’t any surprises coming from her.”

Crowell’s message is “Preparation leads to confidence, leads to success.”

“I love that and think we’re starting to embody that in our practices and games,” Powell said. “More of us are buying in, and it’s been a tremendous difference.”

Powell, who works to be the best hockey player she can because she looks at hockey as her job, wants to make those who have invested in her proud.

Not to say that Powell hasn’t enjoyed every minute, but her coach has noticed a change.

“I think she’s also a lot happier,” Crowell said. “She’s learning a lot, getting challenged and elevating her hockey IQ and everything that goes into being a D-I athlete. She’s focusing a lot on the on-ice piece, which is really healthy and good for her.”

“I’m calmer and more present with myself,” Powell added. “I think I just grew emotionally and matured in my mental aspect of the game and that comes with experience. I’ve never faced challenges like I have here, and I definitely think I’m going to be set for life with all the skills I’ve learned.”