NEW HAVEN, Conn. - It's typical to celebrate our seniors this time of year, but nothing has been normal in college sports in 2020-21. However, that will not prevent us from honoring one Bulldog, Lauren Moriyama, from the Class of 2021, who is ending her college hockey journey.

Moriyama, a Jonathan Edwards College resident who will graduate this spring as a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Economics, was a regular on defense for Yale the last three seasons. She finished her career with 83 games (11 points) and the helped the Elis record a school-record 17 wins in 2019-20.

"It was a privilege to play hockey at Yale, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to play with the players and coaches here at Yale," said Moriyama, a Toronto, Ont., native who worked on analytics for her hometown professional hockey team, the Maple Leafs, the summer before her sophomore year. "I'll definitely miss the small things like hanging out with the girls at the rink and on road trips, doing my pre-game rituals with my teammates, and laughing at Coach Bolding's jokes on the ice at practice. Of course, I'll also miss competing on the ice during practices and games, as I have so many memories of exciting comebacks and rewarding performances."

The three-time ECAC All-Academic Team selection has made an impact on and off the ice, including community outreach. She has been a volunteer at the Daily Bread Food Bank and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, while she was on the Mandi Schwartz Bone Marrow Drive Committee every year.

"It has been an absolute pleasure coaching Lauren at Yale, she is such a competitor and high-spirited athlete. Lauren is one of the hardest working players I have ever coached and is huge part of our D core," said Mark Bolding, Yale's Susan Cavanagh Head Coach of Women's Hockey. "Her speed, tenacity and defensive mindset enabled us to have such a terrific season last year. She logged a lot of important minutes for us and never complained, while she was a stellar teammate and model citizen on our campus.  We wish Lauren all the best in her future endeavors. We can only hope that her teammates show as much determination, grit and effort as Lauren has displayed during her time at Yale."