After a lower-leg injury derailed the second half of her sophomore season, Foley came back this year healthy and determined. She has played in all of the team's 31 games this season, which has resulted in her producing impressive statistics.
"[Foley] has done a great job this season and her confidence has grown," head coach Mark Hudak said. "She has always had the skills and I think she can be even better than how she's playing right now, which is already at a high level."
A Boston native, Foley carries the team with 17 goals and is third on the team with 31 total points. She has excelled in key games and situations, leading the team in goals scored and total points in ECAC play. Foley has amassed 32 goals and 36 assists in 80 career games.
Foley was named to the First Team All-Ivy on Feb. 24 for the first time. Forward Amanda Trunzo '11 was named to the Second Team All-Ivy, while defenseman Sasha Nanji '13 and goaltender Lindsay Holdcroft '14 earned honorable mentions.
"It was definitely a shock to me when I first found out," Foley said. "I think there are definitely other people who deserved it as much as I did, if not more."
Foley is the complete package when she steps onto the ice, Hudak said. While known for her finesse and play-making skills, she can also play a physical game and win battles along the boards.
"I would say I'm more of a play-maker than a goal-scorer almost all of my goals are team goals," Foley said, referring to scores off rebounds and other assisted plays. "I like to pass the puck rather than shooting it at the net."
Foley has improved steadily during her three seasons at Dartmouth. She led Big Green freshmen in her rookie season with 13 assists, and was second among freshmen with 12 goals.
In the first half of an injury-shortened sophomore season, Foley recorded 12 points in 15 games played.
In this year's breakout season, Foley has set new career highs in almost every major statistical category.
"She's improved a lot since her freshman year," Hudak said. "She has done it at a very good pace. She didn't just get better and then hit a plateau, she's had steady growth each year."
Foley's value to the Big Green squad does not stop when she steps off the ice she has become a vocal team leader as one of the Big Green's three assistant captains.
"[Foley's] leadership has definitely improved this season," captain Katie Horner '11 said. "I'm glad that someone like her can be a role model for the younger players on the team."
Foley comes from a long line of hockey superstars her mother, Dawn Foley, played hockey at Providence College, while her older sister, Catherine Foley, skated for Boston University.
During her high school career, Foley was a two-sport athlete for four years at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., where she was the team captain for both softball and hockey in her senior year. She was a two-time All-New England selection in hockey and was named the Most Valuable Player her senior year.
"She has played on a lot of good teams and has been a leader on those teams," Hudak said. "I think that experience has helped her at the college level."
Foley received the John Carlton Award in March 2008, awarded by the Boston Bruins to a high school student-athlete who shows excellence on the ice and in the classroom. She was also a member of a four-time national championship ice hockey team at Assabet Valley, a club-level organization.
"My teams in high school got to play against a lot of the best players and the best teams," Foley said. "It got me ready for the level of competition in college and made me a better player."
The Big Green anticipates that Foley will play a big role in its next game, the ECAC semifinal against Harvard University. The matchup is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.
