The details of Rose Devlin's first game with the women's hockey team at the University of Massachusetts at Boston do not come to mind as easily as her feelings. The freshman from Quincy was sitting among the rest of the spectators watching the game.
No matter how much she clapped or how loud she yelled, her support for her teammates was drowned out by the fans around her.
"When you're on the bench, you're dressed and you go through the warm-ups. The energy is there," said Devlin, now a senior defenseman for the Beacons. "When you're in the stands, you're in your jacket and you're encouraging the team, but they can't hear you. You're not in the huddle. It's a different feeling."
Devlin does not know why her former coach elected not to dress her that night, but she used the experience as motivation that has stuck with her through four seasons.
"Sitting there and watching them play definitely helped push me to try harder," Devlin said. "I remember the next couple of weeks, I really wanted to play. I wanted to get better."
As a senior, the 21-year-old Devlin is serving as the team's captain. At 5 feet 11 inches, she is a presence on defense and has improved as a scoring threat. There are days when Devlin said she finds the experience "surreal."
Devlin considered playing college hockey a dream. She was part of North Quincy's first girls' hockey team her sophomore year. While she enjoyed the opportunity to play high school hockey, Devlin said she was not sure she possessed the skills to play at the college level, even though she began playing at age 5.
She graduated from North Quincy in 2004 and chose UMass-Boston because she wanted to pursue a degree in sociology. Friends and family encouraged Devlin to add hockey to her list.
Although UMass-Boston began its first women's hockey program as a club team in 2002, Devlin still found herself intimidated by the players around her. She was unsure she would make the team.
"When I was trying out, the girls there were amazing," Devlin said. "I was just overwhelmed with their talent."
The day the team was announced, Devlin was one of many waiting outside the coach's office for the news.
"Either they came out upset that they didn't make it or excited that they did," Devlin recalled.
Soon, Devlin received news that she was a Beacon. "I was surprised," Devlin said. "It was a great feeling to realize I was going to be able to actually play in college."
The first year, Devlin focused on gaining confidence. She played in 22 games during that 2004-2005 season, tallying 1 goal and 5 assists as the Beacons compiled a 9-9-1 record in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Playing time may have increased for Devlin, but she struggled at times with being an aggressive player. She said she avoided breaking up plays. If she gained control of the puck, she quickly passed it to a teammate.
One way for Devlin to improve her confidence was to work on her physical attributes. Devlin acknowledged that she may not be the fastest skater, so she began with improving her endurance. She ran around Castle Island until she grew tired. Each day, she ran a little farther.
Devlin was developing into a player a coach could rely on to work toward her goals and to also be an example.
Before Devlin's sophomore season, Mansfield native Maura Crowell was named head coach of the program. She quickly noticed Devlin.
"I heard she was one of the last people to make the team as a freshman," Crowell said. "It's crazy to think about that now because she's such an important part of our team."
Last season, Devlin collected 6 assists in 26 games as the Beacons finished 14-12-1. This season, Devlin has 3 goals and 2 assists and is often paired with sophomore Amanda Cianciulli, who is the team's leading defense scorer, with 2 goals and 4 assists eight games into the season. The Beacons went 4-4 in that span.
While the additional points are appreciated, Crowell said she needs Devlin to maintain her presence on defense. "She is by far one of the tallest in the league," Crowell said. "That alone as a defenseman makes her very difficult to get around for opposing teams."
The Beacons will return to action Saturday against Cortland in the first round of the Codfish Bowl Tournament at UMass-Boston. It is the first Codfish Bowl for the women's program. As the second part of the season begins, Devlin said she is optimistic for the Beacons, who have many freshmen this season.
"It's like a whole new team, but there's a lot of talent and speed this year," she said. "I'm hoping we can put it all together."
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.
