This week I interviewed Lindsay Holdcroft '14, the Dartmouth women's hockey goaltender, to talk about her outlook on the season, her small stature and her experience playing with the boys.
Your team just opened its season by going 1-1-1. How do you feel about your first three games?
LH: I think we learned a lot from our first three games. It's a bit tough starting off the season against teams who have already played six or seven games, but I think we've started strong. All of the games have been extremely close and I think we've already grown quite a bit as a team, and we're beginning to learn what it takes to win those tough close games.
You got to play a bit with the U.S. Women's National Team over the summer, correct?
LH: Yeah, over the summer I was invited to the U.S. National Team's August Festival along with my teammate Kelly Foley ['12], which was really exciting. The camp served as a tryout for the National Team, which then went to Finland for international competition. I think we were both a little surprised and not sure what to expect, having never been to something quite like it, and although we didn't make the final roster, it was a really great experience and super fun having Kelly there with me.
Last year, you appeared in 27 games and had 578 saves the second highest statistics for a freshman in Dartmouth women's hockey history. Were you at all intimidated coming in as a freshman?
LH: Yeah, I'd say I was definitely a little intimidated. It's always kind of weird and tough coming onto a new team and not really knowing what to expect. The stakes are a lot higher in college compared to high school, but I was also incredibly determined to learn a lot and really grow as a goalie. So I'd say I came in nervous, but more so excited for the challenge.
Playing such a physically demanding position, are people ever surprised to find out that you are so small? Did you ever think that your size might be a disadvantage?
LH: It's funny actually, because people do comment on that a lot. When I don't have my equipment on people sometimes assume that I'm a gymnast or something like that, and when I tell them I play hockey they think I must be a forward. I think people just have this image in their minds of goalies being the biggest kid on the team who can't skate, so they just throw them in the pads. But it's not something I really dwell on. I've always been small compared to other goalies and players my age, so I've just learned to really take advantage of the benefits of being a bit smaller and I try to work hard to minimize the fact that I don't take up as much net as most goalies, and never will.
In high school you started on the varsity men's hockey team. What was the hardest part about that? Was it weird transitioning back to playing with women?
LH: Playing on the varsity men's team in high school was definitely a lot of fun and a great challenge. I played with the boys since I started because we didn't have many girls' teams around when I was growing up, so it was just normal to me. It definitely taught me to have a thick skin when it came to hockey, and it was tough at times because high school boys aren't always the nicest or most respectful, especially when they are competing against a girl. But I think it made me a lot physically and mentally tougher, and I continue to benefit from that. Transitioning to the girls' game was definitely a bit of an adjustment coming into college, but I love it.
I hear that some of your teammates, including Foley, call you Luna or Luna Lovegood. What's that all about?
LH: Yeah, I think Foley might have started that nickname. We've got a couple girls on our team who are huge Harry Potter fans, and I think the way I talk sometimes kind of reminds them of Luna Lovegood. We call most of our teammates by nicknames, but my name has never really been good for making a nickname, so Foley has kept this one going for me.
In the win against St. Lawrence University, you tallied your first shutout of the season your fifth in your time here at Dartmouth. Is a shutout for you at all like a no-hitter in baseball? Do you ever start thinking about this kind of thing as the game is closer to ending?
LH: Yeah, I guess you could say it's kind of like that. I suppose it's kind of always in the back of your mind a bit, but I try not to think too much about it during the game because I'm a little superstitious and think it's bad luck. In games like St. Lawrence, though, not letting any goals in is what it takes to win, so that's more what I'm thinking about rather than getting worked up about a shutout.
What is your outlook on the rest of the season?
LH: We've got a really talented team this year and I think our main focus is just on getting better every game and every time we step on the ice, really. We've got a chance to do some really great things this year if we push ourselves and I think that prospect is pretty exciting.