"It was great," she said. "I would be lying if I didn't say I owe all of this to my teammates. It was nice scoring the goal on Senior Night with my parents there. Ending on a good note was definitely a good thing for me."
Before coming to Dartmouth, Parsons was a standout athlete at Noble and Greenough School. During her senior season, Parsons captained the hockey team to a 25-2 record and earned the Boston Globe's Prep School Athlete of Year accolade.
A multi-sport athlete, she also earned varsity letters in lacrosse and soccer and was awarded the Noble Shield Award given to the school's most respected athlete.
Parsons traveled just two hours north from her former high school to join the Big Green and begin her Dartmouth career.
"Dartmouth is sort of a giant extension of Nobles," she said. "I'm not complaining about it, I really like that."
Parsons' talents also earned her a roster spot on the U.S. Women's National Hockey team. At only 17, Parsons was the youngest skater on the squad.
She postponed her Dartmouth enrollment for a year to travel with the team to Torino, Italy to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Starting in September 2005, Parsons trained with the team and played in several games to prepare for Italy, where the U.S. brought home the bronze medal.
The added hype that surrounds international play was a big change for Parsons, she said.
"Playing with the national team was a huge jump from high school," she said. "I had been lucky that I was able to play with the national team in tournaments the year before, so I had previous exposure to the competition. It was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had."
While competing in international tournaments, Parsons played with, and against, some soon-to-be familiar skaters, like her future Dartmouth teammates Canada's Cherie Piper '06 and Gillian Apps '06. Parsons does not let her friendships get in the way of North America's famous hockey rivalry, however.
"When the U.S. plays Canada, I just want to beat them," she said. "Off the ice, it is fine to be friendly."
Even while skating for Dartmouth, Parsons continued to play for the U.S. National Women's Under-22 Team, which she first joined in 2003 while still in high school.
When playing for the Big Green, Parsons is involved with most Dartmouth goals and scoring opportunities. In her four-year collegiate career, Parsons has totalled 63 goals and 88 assists. With 151 total points, Parsons leads all current Big Green skaters in career points.
"I tend to be more of a playmaker," she said. "I am not the biggest, fastest or strongest on the ice, but I think my hockey sense is probably my biggest strong point."
Parsons is always aware of her teammates' positions on the ice and knows how to move the puck into scoring position.
"She is very good leader," teammate Geneva Kliman '12 said. "She sees the ice very well, and she's a very intelligent, talented player."
This year, Parsons' line consisting of herself, co-captain Jenna Cunningham '10 and Amanda Trunzo '11 has accounted for over half of Dartmouth's goals. The dynamic trio owes much of its success to the rapport of its skaters as one cohesive unit on the ice, Parsons said.
"[Cunningham and Trunzo] are both incredible people to play with on the ice," she said. "We've been lucky that we've had chemistry from the beginning of the season. I think we feed off of each other really well."
As a captain, Parsons prefers to lead by example. She said she looks to motivate her teammates by striving to improve her own skills on and off the ice.
"I think our team has consistently had a really great work ethic," she said. "When we're not technically in-season, it's much harder than actually being in season. The off-ice [training] is pretty extensive lots of lifting, lots of running. It's tough because you're not playing a game the next day and showing something for all your work."
Parsons has led the Big Green to two ECAC Championship titles and three consecutive NCAA tournament quarterfinal games.
"We've had a great combination of really talented players and great coaches during the past four years," she said. "With both of those things, it's hard not to be successful."
This year, Parsons hopes to once again lead her team to the ECAC and NCAA tournaments.
Parsons is also currently a finalist in the selection process of this year's NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
If chosen as one of the 32 participants, she will have the opportunity to participate in various competitions with other top players from around country, such as a shoot-out against the nation's top goalies.
This weekend, Dartmouth will travel to face off against Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
With two victories, the Big Green could solidify its eighth place ranking in the ECAC and move closer to qualifying for the ECAC tournament later this month.
