The Huskies lost 2 – 1 to Northeastern University on Friday durning overtime, after the game was tied up in the last minute of the third period. (Photo by Kevin Lindstrom/The Daily Campus)
Most people visit a college before they commit to going, but not the Wabicks. Morgan and Taylor Wabick verbally committed to UConn in the 11th grade and have never looked back.
“We saw two good players and good people that we wanted to have be a part of our program,” head coach Chris Mackenzie said about their recruitment.
After going through admitted difficulty during their freshman campaign, both have broken out as key cogs in the locker room and the product on the ice. Coming into the season, both were looking to increase confidence in their shots.
“I think they have become more confident in their skills, even though they are pretty hard on themselves it is what makes them good,” Mackenzie said. “They push themselves and they are never satisfied. They always want to get better. It is their internal motivation that has allowed them to improve.”
The endless work ethic they display on a daily basis started from a young age. Before they could drive themselves, the twins would wait in the driveway, eager for their parents to come home from work and bring them to practice.
They started playing hockey as four-year old’s in Canada’s Timbits Hockey Initiation Program. At this level, the game being played barely resembles hockey, according to Taylor. It mainly consists of kids skating around following the puck, as many youth sports do. This is where their love of hockey began to sprout.
Growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the Wabick’s would drive two hours to catch North Dakota women’s hockey games. Now, as Division I athletes, they are inspiring the next crop of youngsters who travel to watch them play.
“It was a really cool experience because I wanted to be like them one day,” Taylor said about watching the North Dakota players. “It gives you something to be inspired about.”
“It is an honor for young girls to look up to girls like us,” Morgan said. “When I was younger, I looked up to girls playing at the collegiate level.”
Young fans are not the only people the Wabicks inspire with their play, they also provide their teammates with passing abilities. Both Morgan and Taylor have already surpassed their freshmen season point totals, both having double-digits in assists.
“They are a dream to coach and if you talk to any of their teammates, they love having them,” Mackenzie said.
Not only do they push themselves, but they push each other. They are each other’s biggest fans and strongest supporter. When one has a bad game, they have someone to talk to who knows them better than anyone else.
“Any time Morgan does something good on the ice, Taylor is the first one screaming ‘great play Mo!’ and when things do not go the right way, they are the first person to say, ‘you can do it, you have got this’ and pump them back up,” Senior Captain Jaime Fox said.
Away from the rink they are characters. They host a bi-weekly series titled “Wabby Wednesday” where they interview teammates for the team’s social media accounts. Most recently, the duo hosted Briana Colangelo and Emily Reid in a game called “Say Wha??”.
“On the ice, they are quiet and reserved, focused on the game,” teammate Natalie Snodgrass said. “With me they love to laugh, at me, especially. They never stop laughing.”
Off of the ice they study hard, both sport high GPAs and are pursing careers in nursing. Many of their classes are spent together or with Snodgrass, who they have dubbed “the triplet.”
While they deny having a twin telepathy, every person asked confirmed there is something magical between them. There are times in which they are doing a problem aloud together but do so without completing a single thought. They just know what the other means.
According to Snodgrass, they finish each other’s sentences and their chemistry problems.
Mike Mavredakis is a campus correspondent for the Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at michael.quinn-mavredakis@uconn.edu.
