The Ohio State women’s hockey team on a bus with their coffees. Photo Courtesy of: Jocelyn Amos
Some teams bond over dinner, some over movie nights. The Ohio State women’s hockey team bonds over maple butter lattes, seasonal flavors and a Notes app filled with ratings.
“Coffee Club” started as a small road-trip ritual that has grown into one of the players’ most coveted traditions, one that now has an unofficial captain, unwritten rules and memories to last a lifetime.
“Coffee Club on road trips started before I even came to Ohio State,” junior forward Jocelyn Amos said. “It was just kind of something I got added into by our captain, Jen Gardner. I’m sure it was here before she even started, too.”
Sophomore forward Jordyn Petrie said the team has a serious coffee addiction, one that has expanded to all games, home and away.
“We have our Notes app for every coffee shop in Columbus, and we rank it out of 10,” Petrie said. “There’s like 30 shops on there.”
Petrie said the club, which includes 12 regulars and a few extras who sometimes join, trusts junior forward Joy Dunne, captain on the ice and within Coffee Club, to find the best spots through prior online research.
When the team arrives at an away location, they follow a few unwritten rules, according to sophomore defender Maria Roth.
“We try to go to a local place first,” Roth said. “If there’s not one available or in walking distance, then we’ll go to a chain, usually Caribou Coffee.”
Petrie emphasized that strategy, adding that they sometimes overwhelm small shops simply by walking in.
“A few people ordering ahead is a good unwritten rule,” Petrie said.
Those orders range from a caramel latte with oat milk to the occasional seasonal latte with flavors like pumpkin, pecan or toasted marshmallow added in.
The stops have become some of the players’ favorite moments. And the Buckeyes have developed strong opinions about the best coffee they’ve found.
With no hesitation, Petrie said Pistacia Vera in German Village is the best, specifically the maple butter latte, which “will change your life.”
While drink orders vary, the group said seasonal flavors always grab their attention, especially during the holidays.
“Now that Christmas drinks are coming out, it’s a whole new ball game,” Petrie said.
Amos said that on the road, the Coffee Club keeps the same level of commitment but depends on their pregame skate schedule.
“If it’s a little bit later, we’ll go to Coffee Club before,” Amos said. “If we have a gap between, we’ll come back from pregame skate, people drop stuff off, and then we’ll go after.”
Amos said that if there’s no pregame skate, assistant strength and conditioning coach Rebecca Freiburger will sometimes work the walk to a coffee shop into their pregame warmup.
Regardless of the situation, Petrie said Coffee Club always finds a way.
“If we’re desperate enough, we get the bus drivers to take us to get coffee before games,” Petrie said.
Amos said sometimes the weather becomes an obstacle in their club plans, as some games fall during heavy snowfalls of winter.
“You’re just hiking through a snowstorm, but we’ll do anything to get our coffee in,” Amos said. “Always.”
For the players, Coffee Club is more than just energy before a game—it’s a way for them to build connections.
“Coffee is essential for everyday life, so I think it’s just more essential when you have a game later that day, Petrie said. “It’s better when you’re doing it with your team.”
