University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: Claire Kaufmann
Charlotte Payne Excited for Ice Hockey’s Second Season
8/13/2026 3:00:00 PM | Ice Hockey
NEWARK, Del. – Charlotte Payne was one of 17 freshmen on the Delaware ice hockey team during its inaugural season in 2025-26. The Oakville, Ontario native had a stellar first season in the Blue & Gold, ranking among the top freshman goaltenders in the country. As the Fightin' Blue Hens prepare for their second campaign, Payne is looking to build off the momentum of her first collegiate season.
Payne was among one of the best freshman goaltenders in the country last season. She appeared in 20 games, posting a .914 save percentage and a 3.80 GAA with 802 saves. Payne had 11 games with at least 40 saves, including a season-high 51 twice. Nationally, she ranked third in total saves and fourth in save percentage among freshmen who played at least 20 games.
Delaware was the youngest team in Division I last season with 17 of the team's 21 members in their first season of college hockey. The team had just a handful of meetings over Zoom to get to know each other before arriving to campus to start preseason practices at the end of August.
"I had no idea what to expect, especially because we didn't have an established team or anything like that," Payne said. "I would say I was a little bit nervous with just not knowing what to expect from school, from the team, from the culture, anything like that. But it was also really exciting because we had the opportunity to build something. Getting to campus, that was really when things started to get rolling."
The Blue Hens had a whirlwind first few weeks as they navigated the challenges of being a first-year program. With only four student-athletes with previous Division I experience, the team had to come together quickly through practices, lifts and team bonding activities.
"The moment I stepped on campus, it was a whirlwind experience," Payne said. "We had captain's practices because we couldn't skate with the coaches yet, but we were all out together. We didn't know each other, but we were skating. We were on the field running sprints with [strength & conditioning coach] Kate [Winstanley]. We weren't all settled yet either and I just remember thinking 'wow, welcome to Division One hockey.' We were so busy."
Payne quickly developed a relationship with Mattie Robitzer, the only goaltender on the roster who had Division I experience after transferring to Delaware following two years at Northeastern. The world of hockey goalies is a tight-knit group and for a freshman like Payne to having someone with the experience of Robitzer, both on the ice and in a college environment, was invaluable.
"I really look up to Robi," Payne said. "When I came into to school, it was really nice to have her to be able to bounce questions off of because, while she didn't have any experience at Delaware specifically, she had so much university experience. So, not even just on the hockey side, but being able to ask her questions about class and other little things that maybe you're just curious about that seem like not a big deal. I would ask her, and she would always be there to answer."
When Delaware played its first-ever game against LIU, it was Robitzer who got the nod in the crease as Payne watched from the bench as the backup. Being on the bench for that first game allowed her to watch and adapt to the speed of the game. Payne officially made her collegiate debut the next afternoon in UD's second game and made a statement early, stopping the first 17 shots she faced over the first 32 minutes. The Blue Hens eventually fell 5-2 as LIU tacked on a pair of empty-net goals, but Payne finished with 22 total saves.
"I just remember stepping into the net and everything feeling a little bit faster," Payne said. "But my teammates are so supportive, so it was nice knowing that they had my back too. I remember being in the net for the puck drop and thinking 'I want my first shot. Once I get my first shot, I'm settled and I'm in the game.'"
The following weekend, Delaware hosted Holy Cross at Fred Rust Ice Arena and Payne again got the start in the second game of the series. Facing a flurry of shots all afternoon, she finished with 49 saves on 50 shots to lead UD to a 2-1 win for her first collegiate win and the program's first-ever victory. Payne made 13 stops in the first period, 16 in the second, and 20 in the third including six saves in the final two minutes as the Crusaders pulled their goalie to try and find the equalizer.
"It was a really gritty win," Payne said. "People blocking shots and, especially in that last two minutes, we really locked in. I remember during those final minutes just trying to take it shot by shot. That game was special to me too because it was family weekend, and both my mom and dad were there."
While Payne was putting up ridiculous numbers in the crease, even more impressive was what she was doing in the classroom. As a mathematics & data science major, she recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs in both semesters. She was named an American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)/Krampade Division I All-American Scholar, and was an Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) All-Academic Team selection while being one of 21 student-athletes from the conference to be recognized as an AHA Student-Athlete of the Year.
"I really enjoy my major, so I'm doing something that I'm interested in," Payne said. "Whatever I do in school, just like in hockey, I'm just trying to do my best. Trying to do my best in all my assignments and it turned out nicely."
The Blue Hens are set to return to campus later this month as they prepare for the 2026-27 campaign with the season opener set for September 25 at Holy Cross. Nearly the whole squad returns as Delaware looks to continue to construct the foundation in started last year. Payne is looking to build off the positives from later in the season that included nine games decided by just one goal, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the AHA playoffs.
"We had a lot of close games last year," Payne said. "I've always believed that no matter what team you're playing against, or what your record is, or what their record is, going into every game you have an opportunity to win the game. Something that we talked about as a group is that our last game, the playoff game against Robert Morris, was our best game of the season. It was very clearly our best game of the season. I think that really shows our growth over the course of the season, with the last game being the best game."
Payne is also looking forward to welcoming in eight newcomers this year. While the Blue Hens will still have a young roster consisting of 15 sophomores and six freshmen, Payne is excited to have the year of experience and step into a leadership role to help continue to build the strong foundation for the program that was started last season.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware ice hockey, follow the Fightin' Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
Payne was among one of the best freshman goaltenders in the country last season. She appeared in 20 games, posting a .914 save percentage and a 3.80 GAA with 802 saves. Payne had 11 games with at least 40 saves, including a season-high 51 twice. Nationally, she ranked third in total saves and fourth in save percentage among freshmen who played at least 20 games.
Delaware was the youngest team in Division I last season with 17 of the team's 21 members in their first season of college hockey. The team had just a handful of meetings over Zoom to get to know each other before arriving to campus to start preseason practices at the end of August.
"I had no idea what to expect, especially because we didn't have an established team or anything like that," Payne said. "I would say I was a little bit nervous with just not knowing what to expect from school, from the team, from the culture, anything like that. But it was also really exciting because we had the opportunity to build something. Getting to campus, that was really when things started to get rolling."
The Blue Hens had a whirlwind first few weeks as they navigated the challenges of being a first-year program. With only four student-athletes with previous Division I experience, the team had to come together quickly through practices, lifts and team bonding activities.
"The moment I stepped on campus, it was a whirlwind experience," Payne said. "We had captain's practices because we couldn't skate with the coaches yet, but we were all out together. We didn't know each other, but we were skating. We were on the field running sprints with [strength & conditioning coach] Kate [Winstanley]. We weren't all settled yet either and I just remember thinking 'wow, welcome to Division One hockey.' We were so busy."
Payne quickly developed a relationship with Mattie Robitzer, the only goaltender on the roster who had Division I experience after transferring to Delaware following two years at Northeastern. The world of hockey goalies is a tight-knit group and for a freshman like Payne to having someone with the experience of Robitzer, both on the ice and in a college environment, was invaluable.
"I really look up to Robi," Payne said. "When I came into to school, it was really nice to have her to be able to bounce questions off of because, while she didn't have any experience at Delaware specifically, she had so much university experience. So, not even just on the hockey side, but being able to ask her questions about class and other little things that maybe you're just curious about that seem like not a big deal. I would ask her, and she would always be there to answer."
When Delaware played its first-ever game against LIU, it was Robitzer who got the nod in the crease as Payne watched from the bench as the backup. Being on the bench for that first game allowed her to watch and adapt to the speed of the game. Payne officially made her collegiate debut the next afternoon in UD's second game and made a statement early, stopping the first 17 shots she faced over the first 32 minutes. The Blue Hens eventually fell 5-2 as LIU tacked on a pair of empty-net goals, but Payne finished with 22 total saves.
"I just remember stepping into the net and everything feeling a little bit faster," Payne said. "But my teammates are so supportive, so it was nice knowing that they had my back too. I remember being in the net for the puck drop and thinking 'I want my first shot. Once I get my first shot, I'm settled and I'm in the game.'"
The following weekend, Delaware hosted Holy Cross at Fred Rust Ice Arena and Payne again got the start in the second game of the series. Facing a flurry of shots all afternoon, she finished with 49 saves on 50 shots to lead UD to a 2-1 win for her first collegiate win and the program's first-ever victory. Payne made 13 stops in the first period, 16 in the second, and 20 in the third including six saves in the final two minutes as the Crusaders pulled their goalie to try and find the equalizer.
"It was a really gritty win," Payne said. "People blocking shots and, especially in that last two minutes, we really locked in. I remember during those final minutes just trying to take it shot by shot. That game was special to me too because it was family weekend, and both my mom and dad were there."
While Payne was putting up ridiculous numbers in the crease, even more impressive was what she was doing in the classroom. As a mathematics & data science major, she recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs in both semesters. She was named an American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)/Krampade Division I All-American Scholar, and was an Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) All-Academic Team selection while being one of 21 student-athletes from the conference to be recognized as an AHA Student-Athlete of the Year.
"I really enjoy my major, so I'm doing something that I'm interested in," Payne said. "Whatever I do in school, just like in hockey, I'm just trying to do my best. Trying to do my best in all my assignments and it turned out nicely."
The Blue Hens are set to return to campus later this month as they prepare for the 2026-27 campaign with the season opener set for September 25 at Holy Cross. Nearly the whole squad returns as Delaware looks to continue to construct the foundation in started last year. Payne is looking to build off the positives from later in the season that included nine games decided by just one goal, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the AHA playoffs.
"We had a lot of close games last year," Payne said. "I've always believed that no matter what team you're playing against, or what your record is, or what their record is, going into every game you have an opportunity to win the game. Something that we talked about as a group is that our last game, the playoff game against Robert Morris, was our best game of the season. It was very clearly our best game of the season. I think that really shows our growth over the course of the season, with the last game being the best game."
Payne is also looking forward to welcoming in eight newcomers this year. While the Blue Hens will still have a young roster consisting of 15 sophomores and six freshmen, Payne is excited to have the year of experience and step into a leadership role to help continue to build the strong foundation for the program that was started last season.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware ice hockey, follow the Fightin' Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
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