TORONTO — The journey to greatness is not one unfamiliar to Ryerson's women's hockey team. The past two years have brought the triumphs and challenges of a program on the rise, and the team has fought an uphill battle to establish themselves as a perennial contender in the OUA.  

In particular, last season was one of many accolades. A 15-win regular season campaign was the most successful the program has ever seen. Ryerson became the only team to house four players who scored 20 or more points during the regular season. Erika Crouse (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) was named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year after a phenomenal freshman season. Kryshanda Green (Brampton, Ont.) received a nod to the OUA All-Star team for the first time in her career. Playoffs, once a distant dream for this program, was not only an imminent reality but an upcoming challenge. 

Matching up against the fourth-ranked Queen's Gaels, the Rams eventually became the only team to upset the higher-ranked seed in the first round of the 2019 OUA playoffs. Two overtime victories, including a double-overtime thriller at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, sent the team to the second round for the first time in program history. 

Facing off against the first-seeded Guelph Gryphons in the OUA semifinals, the Rams struggled to get pucks behind the powerful Gryphon blue line. Guelph took the series in back-to-back games, bringing an end to Ryerson's historic postseason run.

A second-round exit may seem disappointing on the surface, but there were numerous overarching positive takeaways. It certainly was a season of firsts; many lessons were learned along the way, says Rams head coach Lisa Haley — lessons that will prove to be invaluable for years to come. 

"We learned how important it is to be strong defensively in our league," says Haley on the team's journey last season. "We recognize now that we want to be an even better team on the defensive side of the puck and let our skill speak for itself."

The many positives of last season outweigh the heartbreak of a semifinal exit. Now set to return all but one player from last year's roster, the Rams will hit the ice this season as experienced and prepared as ever. 

Armed with four of the league's top ten scorers, a small but strategic recruiting class and a depth chart like none in years past, the Rams are poised to make a run at their first McCaw Cup championship in program history. 

"We don't get to play the youth card anymore," says Haley. "We're experienced veterans and we know how to handle tough situations moving forward. Our preseason results [against McGill and Montreal] show we can match up against any team in the country and pull out a win." 

The team's full leadership group will return this year with an opportunity to rewrite Rams history once again. Fifth-year senior and captain Kryshanda Green will look to make an impact in her final season with the Rams, leading this year's team alongside her alternate captains in Brooklyn Gemmill (Cambridge, Ont.), Laura Ball (Toronto, Ont.), and Karli Nummikoski (Thunder Bay, Ont.).

Gemmill, in particular, will likely repeat as one of the team's biggest offensive weapons for the third consecutive season. Ryerson's leading scorer in 2018-19, Gemmill's point production has only grown since she first entered the league in 2017, and she shows no signs of slowing down in 2019-20. 

Another key piece for the Rams is reigning OUA and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, Erika Crouse. Together on Ryerson's first line, Gemmill, Green and Crouse will be looked upon to provide a consistent offensive spark, game in and game out. 

The Rams' offensive depth goes far beyond their first line. Lauren Nicholson (Dresden, Ont.) led the team with 12 goals last season, making huge strides from her two previous seasons in the league. Nicholson's skill and shot will greatly benefit the team on the power play, and, aided by players like Camryn Tait (Toronto) and Madison Lalonde (Blenheim, Ont.), the Rams' primary goal scorers appear to be in good shape entering the new season. 

On the blue line, the team's core is ready to tackle the challenges of a new season. Mariah Hinds (Toronto) returns in 2019 after making a splash in her first year; the NCAA transfer finished the regular season ranked third amongst OUA defenders in points last year and will likely increase her production numbers in her sophomore season. Laura Ball and Keelin Farren (Toronto) will provide a defensive boost in their own end while still contributing to the scoreboard, a necessary offensive weapon in a league as tight as the OUA.

The team will also return all three of its 2018-19 goaltenders. Fanny Vigeant (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) emerged as the starter last season, making 14 of 24 regular-season starts and posting a .902 save percentage. With two strong goalies in Rachel Seeley (Ottawa, Ont.) and Natalie Thompson (Toronto) in tow, Vigeant will need to earn her spot again this season as the Rams look to improve their defensive numbers on the back end. 

Four new additions to the roster will only serve to strengthen the Rams' depth at the forward and defender positions.  Alexia Ursua (Surrey, B.C.), Mia Morano (Toronto) and Emily Baxter (Oakville, Ont.) will provide a boost upfront, each coming from top-level minor league programs across the country. As a stay-at-home defender, Abby DeCorby (Saskatoon, Sask.) will help control play in the Rams' end of the ice and will likely play a crucial role for the team in her freshman season.

Among the new additions to this team is first-year assistant coach Haley Irwin. Irwin brings a breadth of competitive knowledge to the Rams and serves as a valuable addition to the team's bench staff moving forward. 

"She brings a high level of knowledge in terms of individual skills and tactics and what it takes to be a high-performance athlete," says Haley. "We know that our players can learn from that example."

Last year's Rams excelled in many statistical areas of the game; Ryerson led the league in shots (771) and ranked second in goals-per-game (2.96) and assists (105). It will be up to this year's Rams to maintain their strengths while making some key improvements on the back-end to not only fortify their defensive tactics but their position in the standings.  

With the preseason coming to a close and opening weekend rapidly approaching, the details and nuances of regular season play are cast aside by this year's bigger goal: a visit to the McCaw Cup Championship game in the spring. 

"We've talked about reaching more firsts for the program, and that is what I expect this team to continue doing this season," adds Haley. 

Many new and familiar challenges lie ahead. Any given team is capable of fighting, at the very least, for three points in any regular-season matchup. Relying on their past experiences to guide them through the various obstacles they will be faced with during the regular season, the team will benefit from the growth they've experienced in recent years and are looking to not only build on their success from last season but re-establish the very definition of success for this program. 

The first of 24 regular-season matchups, Ryerson will face off against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks to kick off their 2019-20 campaign. The Ridgebacks narrowly missed the eighth and final playoff berth last season and will now be looking to take down the Rams in their home opener. Ryerson, on the other hand, will be looking to kick off the season on a high note before heading east to take on one of their most familiar rivals.

The team will play their second game of opening weekend on Saturday night in Kingston, returning to the Memorial Centre for a first-round rematch against the Queen's Gaels. Queen's will be as hungry as ever for a win, and the Rams will need to, at the very least, match their opponent's level of play if they wish to walk away with a win and three points. 

Ryerson's five-month-long regular season campaign will kick off in just a few short days,  bringing with it a new pair of opponents nearly every weekend. And, while it may be true that expectations are the burden of joy, Haley says she believes the team will thrive on the pressure earned by her team this year. 

"The pressure on us now is actually a privilege," says Haley. "We've earned the right to have this pressure on our shoulders, and those expectations are positive ones. We're no longer an underdog team; teams see us coming and we expect to get everyone's best game, which might not have been the case in years past.

"We now have to understand this responsibility as a program to continue edging this team forward. We've grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and it doesn't stop here. It's our responsibility to continue to raise that bar."

The Rams will drop the puck on the regular season on Friday, October 18 against Ontario Tech. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Campus Ice Centre in Oshawa and can be streamed live at OUA.tv.