We have transitioned well into April, the first of five calendar months that will be free of regular on-ice news in the women’s college hockey realm. And depending on where one has left off, some teams and players, more than others, are bound to have a harder time waiting out the Memorial Day barbecue, Fourth of July barbecue, Labor Day barbecue, and for-the-heck-of-it barbecues between now and their next practice.
There is no foolproof means of scanning a given player’s wholehearted thoughts, feelings, and urges, but here is one individual from each Hockey East school who ought to be itching for ice already:
Blake Bolden, Boston College- The Eagles’ freshman defender showed spurts of potential to be effective on both sides of the puck, notching four goals and nine helpers. But she probably would have been more effective had she not spent so much time in the penalty box (59 minutes on 24 infractions). Additionally, while Bolden led BC’s defenders in the scoring department, she somehow also finished with a team-worst rating of minus-11. That’s certainly nothing she can’t work to improve as a sophomore.
Holly Lorms, Boston University- A late-season injury forced the rising senior to miss her team’s icebreaking postseason run, complete with a league title and a national quarterfinal date with Mercyhurst. As much as any member of the puck populace is inclined to say, “It’s about how the team does,” it is only human for the likes of Lorms to wish she could have played a tangible role in those games. She should have a chance to at least help BU in its effort for an encore next year.
Alexandra Garcia, Connecticut- True, she was quick to cement her claim to the starting job in lieu of the graduated Brittany Wilson. And yes, she backboned the bulk of the Huskies’ run to within tasting distance of their first conference crown and NCAA tournament bid, charging up an 18-8-7 record with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. But she missed the very last and most important shot she faced in the season, surrendering a dream-popping overtime goal in the conference title game. That tends to have an emotional sting that can penetrate any positives.
Darcia Leimgruber, Maine- Due to technicalities on the collegiate front and an Olympic obligation with Team Switzerland, Leimgruber was only able to skate in six games with the Black Bears as a frosh. Translation: she didn’t have much of a chance to show what she can do to uplift this plebian program. Likewise, Mainers were left hanging on whether or not Leimgruber shall be the Bears’ nucleus in their long-awaited climb out of irrelevance.
Katie Kleinendorst, New Hampshire- Leading up to the season, some outspoken fans from rival Providence couldn’t get past the fact that Kleinendorst, the daughter of a distinguished PC men’s hockey alum, chose to enroll in Brian McCloskey’s capstone class. A short six months later, Friartownies are probably a little less irked seeing as Kleinendorst, a fourth-line forward, saw action in 29 games and put nothing on the scoresheet in any of them.
Autumn Prouty, Northeastern- A rising senior forward, Prouty has consumed 81 career games thus far and has but one point –an assist during her sophomore season- to speak of in that entire span. Is she storing up a carbonated supply of productivity for her final campaign? Prouty and her associates would certainly hope so.
Laura Veharanta, Providence- The sophomore jinx is but an urban legend. Or is it? Once the only unanimous selection to the league’s All-Rookie squad in 2008-09, Veharanta followed up on a 31-point season with a mere 12-point bushel this past year. It reached a point where she spent a handful of nights on the fourth line instead of her usual Top 6 perch on the Friars’ depth chart. The good news: she has all summer to prepare to show that the freshman Veharanta is much closer to normalcy than the sophomore version.
Kailey Nash, Vermont- Crash and burn much? Even while her underachieving teammates stalled, Nash set a nice standard in her first year as a forward (having transitioned from defense the previous season), scoring eight goals, including seven on the power play, and 12 points in her first 14 appearances. But after Thanksgiving break, she scraped out but one assist in the next 19 games. Imagine what could happen for Nash (and the Catamounts) if she could simply take her October and November and make it last through the winter.
Lucky for all eight of the said players, next year will indeed arrive, no matter how excruciatingly long its arrival might feel.
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