The smooth, even surface promotes a true roll of the ball that rewards good plays and punishes bad plays far more emphatically than a bumpy grass field. Triangular passing combinations Field hockey is a game of shifting geometry, in which the opposition is circumvented by a series of triangular passing combinations. As in ice hockey, there is plenty of action without much scoring. It is not a gentle sport. The players wield cudgel-like sticks, and the ball can be a dangerous projectile.
Broken fingers are common.
In a spring scrimmage a year ago, attacker Molly O'Malley nearly left a portion of her ear on the turf after being slashed by a wayward stick. At the center of the team, physically and emotionally, are senior cocaptains Kathleen Kelly and Amy MacFarlane. Kelly, who prefers to wear her sleeves rolled up no matter what the weather, is a driving force up the middle. Further up the field stands MacFarlane, who has faced world-class competition for several years as a member of the Canadian national team. Last year her virtuoso stick-handling and pinpoint passing elevated the performance of her teammates.