Sports

Senior proud to wear red

No one has ever made it easy for Mikka Nordby to play hockey. So why should this year be any different?

“We never had an indoor rink in my town until I was about 12 or 13,” Nordby said. “So I was never given much of a chance to play, except for playing pickup games with the guys, and I just had to try and compete with them.”

Just like when she was younger, Nordby, a senior defenseman on the Wisconsin women’s hockey team, has found playing time tough to come by. Nordby has only seen ice time in nine of 26 games this season and has yet to record a point.

“It is definitely hard, because everyone wants to play, and everyone wants their spot out there,” Nordby said. “But if you don’t look at it from a selfish standpoint, I try and focus on the things that I can control. I can’t really control the amount of ice time that I get, but I can control how I come to the rink every day and the work that I put into it. … The bottom line is I have to put myself second to the team.”

Although Nordby doesn’t see much ice time, she still has a significant positive impact.

“Mikka is there to do anything that the coaches or her teammates ask of her,” junior goalie Jessie Vetter said. “She is a very positive role model, especially for the younger kids. She works really hard in practice, and if she gets that opportunity to go in the game she is going to work really hard and give it her all.”

“Mikka is just a great teammate,” senior captain Emily Morris added. “She just lifts your spirits and reminds you to be thankful and enjoy the game.”

Because Nordby was taught by former great Badger defensemen as an underclassman, she views it as her responsibility to teach the younger defensemen how to win.

“We told them at the beginning of the year that the defensive zone is our house, and what happens there is our responsibility,” Nordby explained. “We have some of the top forwards in the country, so we just need to get them the puck, and they will score goals. I try to teach them that our job isn’t to score; it is to keep the puck out of the net.”

As one of three seniors on the team, Nordby is in the unique position to possibly be a part of a three-time NCAA National Championship class. Because the class is so small, all the seniors feel they have developed a special relationship extending far beyond hockey.

“We all bring different aspects to the group,” Morris continued. “We have really close-knit friendships, and I just think that the class that the coaches picked for the 2008 seniors is a really unique group but a great group.”

While Nordby has won two National Championships and helped set the NCAA record for longest unbeaten streak in women’s hockey, her favorite part of playing hockey is something much simpler. She is the most proud of being a Badger.

“Whenever I put on a jersey, I am just filled with pride,” Nordby said. “I am proud to be a part of the program, and I am proud to get the opportunity to be a Division I athlete. I think that just that alone makes you feel good inside and … see the jersey that you see on TV and see that you are wearing a jersey you have always dreamed of wearing. That is what I enjoy the most.”