A young Maggie Hatch sat in the passenger seat of her father’s car and watched the landscape surrounding them. Hatch was resting up during the drive after playing a game in Canada with her part-time girls hockey team. She was on her way to Rochester, New York for her next game — one with her full-time boys team. While Hatch played defender on her girls team, with the boys she was a goalie.
Though her father did not want her playing goalie, he supported Hatch’s hockey dreams from the start.
“It’s the things that they did to just let us play, it really is incredible,” Hatch said of her supportive parents. “I had no idea — I was just showing up at a rink. I was rolling up to the team and I was going on the ice and playing win or lose. It was just another opportunity to play. That’s all I could ever ask for.”
The alternate captain’s hockey career has been filled with challenges. Yet, as she prepares for her final season with the Colonials, she continues to grow as a player and person.
How Gilmour Academy Changed Hatch’s Trajectory
Hatch went on to play high school hockey at Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. While there, she committed to play for Wesleyan University; a local Division III program. The Covid-19 Pandemic prevented the team from playing games that season, so Hatch decided to defer her start at Wesleyan to attend Gilmour Academy.
She said her love for the sport grew more because of her year at Gilmour. She likened the schedule to that of a Division I program. Then, Robert Morris University staff approached Hatch when they were bringing their program back after shutting down for two years. RMU head coach Logan Bittle reached out to Hatch, and she decided this new opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Growing up in Cleveland shaped me, and this presented another opportunity for me to kind of build something from the ground up and be a part of that,” Hatched explained. “That was something that fits kind of who I am as a player and as a person. I had such a hard time turning away from this opportunity to [be] a part of something that’s a lot bigger than me.”
Connecting with the Colonials
The Colonials were returning as a Division I program in the 2022-23 season. They weren’t going to start playing right away as the staff still needed time to build out their rosters. Hatch didn’t mind; she focused on the opportunity to rebuild a returning program with history behind it. She had a few reservations about decommitting from her original program and changing her entire trajectory. But Hatch enjoyed the RMU campus and felt an instant connection to it the moment she arrived.
“There was something about that to me that didn’t seem scary, and that was a sign,” Hatch said. “I had this incredible opportunity in regards to hockey presented to me, but yet there was so much more to it than just hockey. It was the opportunity for me to create something for myself, create a new path here, create a new path for others, and just make the most of an incredible opportunity.”
Helping Others on Campus
Being part of a program in the midst of rebuilding isn’t a simple task. Hatch spent the first season with the Colonials and 11 other players on the men’s and women’s team only taking part in practice. She liked it because it gave her the ability to be a Division I athlete while also being a regular college student. With the free time available, Hatch decided to start lending a hand around campus. She became involved with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), The Colonial Leadership Academy, and RMU Athletes in Medicine. In prior years, Hatch didn’t think volunteering would be her thing, but the school environment inspired her. In her first year on campus, Hatch decided to start saying yes to things in hopes of coming out of her comfort zone.
“I never would have expected myself to do this. But something that I had to learn through my freshman year here was, I need to not say no to things and get involved,” Hatch explained. “This opportunity is going to be everything that I make of it, especially when we didn’t have hockey. I didn’t have games on the weekend. That definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
By the end of the school year, Hatch applied for a position on the executive board of the SAAC. Her first thought when asked to apply was, ‘Why not?’ That question became her motto.
She added her time spent involved with her campus community helped her gain confidence and helped her see herself as something more than just a hockey player.
Navigating Challenges
Hatch has been able to stay motivated while handling any adversity thrown at her in her career, including injuries. She said she’s never been on a star-studded team and that has been the motivation to prove herself. But it’s also led her to adopt the practice of putting her head down and working hard, which influences her teammates.
“Her having experience with adversity definitely helped because she can shed light on those experiences with some of the other girls,” goaltending coach Emma Gorski said. “This season in particular she showed a different type of demeanor and calmness throughout the storm. She’s one to be very level-headed [in] those situations and be able to own it. Being able to tell the girls ‘this is what’s happening, but here’s how we can get ourselves out of it.’”
In the 2025-26 season, Hatch finished with a record of 11-15-2 with a .916 save percentage, and a 2.47 goals against average. She became the third goaltender in program history to make 2,000 career saves. For the third consecutive season, Hatch was named to the HCA Women’s Goalie of the Year Watchlist. She also finished the season with six shutouts, tied for most in one season. That pushed her career total to nine, which ranks second in program history.
Always having fun
Though Hatch put together a great season, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Her focus has always been to accept things as they are and understand some games will be easier than others. Though Coach Gorski sees Hatch as level-headed, Hatch explained the RMU coaching staff are the ones that help her get to that point.
“It’s funny because sometimes you don’t feel level-headed one bit. Sometimes you feel like you’re actually going crazy. It takes a lot of self-reflection to stay level-headed,” Hatch said “Sometimes you just got to ride the waves. There’s going to be highs and lows. It’s about managing them.”
Hatch has a chance to break program records next season, but her focus isn’t on that. It’s having the most fun possible. She was able to figure out when she needed to have more fun throughout this season.
The best way to remind herself was to do something that reminded her of her younger self. Hatch said it keeps her going and makes her aware of when she needs to take a step back from everything.
Besides, when she’s having fun, she’s playing her best.
